Find Us Peace
by 100-series
Summary: [Alternate Timeline postXS2] Political strife threatens the star cluster, while the cast finds normal life hard to adjust to. They will be pulled back together again to finish what they thought they had escaped years ago.
1. Life on the Kukai Foundation

_Disclaimer: Xenosaga and its characters are not my property._

**Hey, Who? What? Counterboost?**  
_Before you read!_

One author's note, then I will shut up for the rest of the fic, I promise!

This is a rewrite of Find Us Peace. WHY? I know, I am not a fan of major rewrites. I know nobody cares about making some random online fanfiction frigging perfect, and this fic is still far from it. I know that you guys would rather just see the ending and call it a day. The reason I decided to rewrite it is because I felt I was losing the focus and I had a hard time continuing and getting to the ending with the way it was going. It was my first multi-chapter fic, and I was making it up as I went along. But I do like this story, and its my big cheesy sequelfic extravaganza, so... it deserves a little special treatment from me. I'm starting over from the basic outline of the original, reorganized with some scenes added and some deleted. Hopefully it'll hold the attention of the original fic's readers, because as you know... I love you all!

Before new readers are subjected to reading this incredibly lengthy fic, let me give you the basics on how it's going to be, so you don't get half-way through and barf up your lunch in distaste, wasting precious hours of your time. I believe in fair warnings for all! XD

Genre: sequel (AU once XS3 is released), characterization, romance, action... drama? (cough... more like humor)  
Pairings: MOMO/Jr., chaos/KOS-MOS, Shion/Allen, Shion/Gaignun, Shelley/Gaignun, and various implied ones that you can speculate on.

Oh yeah, and I'm gonna start out with a cheesy presumptuous prologue because people kept asking me to fill in the blanks of the story. (Calls up Nephilim) Get to work, hunny!

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Prologue: Words From a Cross-Bearing Girl_

There are many phenomena which may or may not occur depending on actions taken by those who live in the bounds of these realities. Though the smallest waves are identical, the ever-expanding rings that they develop into will become increasingly different until the source is no longer identifiable. A single person's decision can have a dramatic effect on the outcome of our very existence, and yet a single person cannot grasp the whole, unless they are bound to live out an eternity, as I am.

(0)

It was only a few short months after the appearance of the entity known as Abel's Ark when Shion met her friends once more. They gathered to a single locale as if preordained by fate to face the upcoming crisis together. It was a turbulent time, in which each faced their past and future demons.

Intent on saving his brother, the URTV known to his friends as "Jr." enlisted the aide of Shion and her companions to dive into the subconscious encephalon structure of Gaignun Kukai, and free him from Dimitri Yuriev. Removed like a parasite despite a persistent struggle, the doctor who created the URTVs finally left the mortal plane. Though heavy injuries were dealt, Gaignun Kukai was able to recover over the following years that passed. Although grudgingly, the URTVs did vow to oppose U-DO as their father did.

Shion became aware of her own role in the events that unfolded by searching through the completed memories of her past. As KOS-MOS needed her in order to awaken, she cooperated with the plan to resurrect Abel's Ark. In the same beat, Jr. accomplished his mission to eliminate U-DO not by destroying it, but by banishing it back to the higher domain it originated from. Though through them humanity was offered its chance to ascend as well, they rejected the experience and clung to their current forms in the dimension and area of space that they so gladly called home.

The awakened spirit which laid dormant inside KOS-MOS opened the way to the Lost Jerusalem, and a chosen few who were allowed to enter followed her there. Among the accepted were Wilhelm and his cloaked men: Red, Blue, White, and Black. Kevin accepted, but would never know the happiness he left with Shion again. Virgil accepted as well, and through this measure, he became reunited with Febronia. Voyager transcended, intent on becoming the essence of life and death in the higher domain- the end itself. Albedo refused, and chose to die in a realm where he could at least join his brothers in death. She pleaded to chaos, but he decided that he loved humanity, despite its many flaws. He would not go.

Those choices were made of their own will, and they follow those paths as their spirits dictate. But this reality is different from the one that we know, and for that reason, the story does not end at the choice. Though they faced their past, the uncertain future still stood before them like a wall. There were still lingering reflections of the wave.

_What will you do?_

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 1: Life on the Kukai Foundation_

(1)

White symbols flashed over a translucent screen and reflected in the violet eyes of Shelley Godwin. Their meanings were translated somewhere in the back of the young woman's mind, but other thoughts took control in her conscious thought as she plodded through the work.

It was the same every day, these days. No more Zohar emulators, no more U-TIC. An arms buildup around the galaxy after the disappearance of the Gnosis gave them reason to keep the Durandal in its current state and in their possession, but they rarely intervened in matters directly. The Durandal was a sword, the symbol of the Miltian Alliance's power, and considered overkill in any missions threatening the government of Second Miltia, the Kukai Foundation, or the other smaller associated foundations and countries that had pitched in since the Federation began a major decline. War was on the horizon as it always was in times of peace. They were the keepers of that peace; and yet the great Durandal was rarely ever seen outside its vertical docking position at the center of the foundation.

Her battles these days were all data, numbers and words scrolling past. She was not there to wage war with characters on a screen, but only to provided support for the front-line fighter, Gaignun Kukai. That was all she could do, and she was the best for the job, yet it seemed unimportant and pointless. Her master was now thirty years old, and she was quickly approaching that age herself. When everything seemed at its end, she thought that maybe, finally, Gaignun would be able to pursue happiness, and she would help him. That, however, did not happen.

"It has been a long time..."

The usual hum and buzz of the Durandal's bridge was not enough to drown out the words that Shelley Godwin had not meant to say aloud. The numbers she was calculating idly caused her to lose her place and vocalize her thoughts unintentionally. She heard her sister climb up to the command console at the top of the three tiers of the bridge where she sat and groaned at her presence.

"What's been a long time?" Mary asked in a thick backwoods accent, placing her hands on her hips. "Are you okay? You're really not the type to be spacin' out like that!"

"I apologize," she responded in her own dramatically different, dark and smooth tone of voice. "I was thinking of Master Gaignun," she admitted, confident that she could share this with Mary, if anyone. The 100-series realians and a few officers were on the bridge as well, but none of them were close enough to overhear. "He appears worse as each day goes by."

"In what sense do ya mean?" Mary asked. Her blonde curls bounced as she plopped down on top of a console next to her sister's. Shelley scolded her many times in the past for sitting on the bridge equipment, but she let it slide this time with a simple grimace. "I think he's been pretty healthy, all things considered. He's eatin' good, getting plenty of sleep-"

"That is not the sort of health I am referring to," Shelly interjected before Mary had a chance to go on one of her tangents. "He seems tired of this life... exhausted of it. Little Master has even begun to notice."

"Oh boy, it must be serious then!" Mary jokingly exclaimed. Then she put on a sympathetic face, and pat her sister on the shoulder. "I think I know what you mean," she said, more seriously. "He keeps to himself, always tells Little Master to go have fun, but he never has any himself. I swear, it's been a year at least since I saw him with a new girl, and I think that's just because she was some president's daughter."

"You're correct," Shelley replied, remembering every detail of that farce. She was jealous, even if it was a fake arrangement. "Tell me. How close have you been to Gaignun in the past?"

Mary stammered and nearly fell from her perch. "W-who me? I never-!" she was cut off by a look from Shelley that said her sister knew better that to believe her tone of denial. "Er... I mean, well..." she leaned over and whispered to make sure that no one would hear. "I did kiss him one time, but I was drunk... and later he gave me along speech on how he thinks of me as a sister and so on and on and on, until I just fell asleep!"

"I see," Shelley muttered thoughtfully. "I've never done such a thing."

"Huh?" Mary's voice got loud again in surprise. "Never, ever? I thought Gaignun liked you the best! Even back when we were little, he always wanted to be with you while I hung out with Rubed-oh, I mean Little Master!"

Shelley gently smiled remembering the days years ago before Jr. and Gaignun cast off their URTV names. Nigredo and Shelley were both soft-spoken and intellectual types; while their siblings, Mary and Rubedo, were energetic, forward, and physically active. A reserved but sharp tongue was something she and Gaignun had in common, while Mary and Jr. were both blunt and reckless. It seemed to her, as a naive young girl, that the four of them were meant to be together always. In reality, their bond wasn't quite as sweet. They all served as comfort zones for each other, without venturing any real romantic entanglement, all in the name of keeping the foundation together, and living for its citizens. _That's not happiness..._

"This is the Durandal, contacting Shelley," Mary teased. "Shelley? You there?"

"I am thinking," Shelley said in annoyance. "You should try it once in a while."

Mary pouted and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm trying to help you out!" she huffed, but it was obvious that she was only angry on the surface. Shelley smiled again.

"Master Gaignun thinks of us both as his younger sisters, I suppose," she said. "We fawn on him constantly, but he refuses us both. Not to say too much of myself, but this hardly seems logical..."

"He probably just doesn't want to mess up the friendship we've all got," Mary added, a bit too loudly. "Oh well! I'm still going to hug him every time I see him, even if you don't want to, so there!"

"I am worried about him," Shelley explained, trying to remain to the point. "He has likely never been in love, and neither have either of us. You could say in a way that Little Master has more experience than we do."

She couldn't hold it in anymore. Mary had to laugh. Shelley didn't find it very amusing, but she couldn't help it. "Ha ha! Little Mastah... ha!"

Shelley's face lifted into a small smile again as she imagined the cocky lines that Jr. might give them if he was privy to their conversation. "It is true... He does."

"Speak for yourself!" Mary said, and waved her hand to dismiss the argument. "I've seen plenty of action, I just haven't felt like I needed to tell you all about it." She grinned, feeling like she finally had something on her older sister. "That's absolutely right."

Shelley responded with outright surprised glance up at her. "So... you don't actually love either of them... that way?"

"No way," Mary groaned, as if the idea made her sick. "I told ya, I was drunk! I love Gaignun, but I think if I was _with_ him, he'd make me sick with his being so smart all the time... Just like you!"

Shelley laughed softly, knowing that the insult was meant as a joke. "And... Little Master?"

"Ew...!" Mary jumped off the console and stood up straight with her chin held up defiantly. "Although I have to admit he is turnin' out mighty fine, that's just plain weird! It'd be like kissing my brother! Or worse, er... you!"

Shelley hung her head in dismay trying very hard not to imagine that. "Forget I asked," she sighed. "At any rate... did it ever occur to you that Master Gaignun may be keeping us nearby as sort of a deterrent? When we are around, other women don't often bother to approach."

"Well duh, the whole foundation and half of Second Miltia thinks we're sleeping with him," Mary replied bluntly. She reached out and turned Shelley's chair slightly so that they were facing each other. "Listen here," she said frankly, vibrant bright blue eyes staring straight into the calm, violet abyss of Shelley's. "If you love Gaignun, you better make a move 'cause he's obviously not gonna. He's just gonna sit in his big office and let everybody think he's a pimp daddy until he dies all cold and lonely."

Shelley grimaced and averted her line of vision from the glare. "I would... rather not."

"Well then," Mary sighed, realizing that this pursuit was futile. She stood up straight again with a confident bounce. "Don't say anything when I try and hook him up!"

"I won't," Shelley agreed. "In fact... I was thinking of getting out of the way for you." Mary's eyes widened and she speechlessly watched her sister, waiting for more of an explanation. "I was thinking that I may leave the Durandal and the Kukai Foundation itself. Permanently."

(2)

The youngest member of the Kukai Foundation representatives, according to official documents at least, leaned back in his adoptive father's buisness room in an office chair with his floppy sock-clad feet propped up on the desk. His boots and coat were lazily discarded on the floor, in desperate need of cleaning and ironing. He sat staring through a large window behind the desk, no longer caring for the task at hand. Bureaucracy was something he took no pleasure in delving into.

The vertical landscape of the Kukai Foundation spread into the distance. The sight was so common to him now that it hardly seemed odd being on a different gravitational axis than the horizon outside their windows. From his perch, it seemed like the line of glittery buildings hadn't changed at all; but in fact, buildings went up and came down every day. He wished the appearance of his own body could change with such little notice.

In the over four years after his powers weakened, something happened that he often wished for secretly in the past, but now rued entirely. Jr. had grown. Though he still lacked a head or more on Gaignun, he was now a few inches taller than his friend, Shion. Had he been given the chance to grow older as a normal teen does, or perhaps even all at once to get it over with, this would have pleased him greatly. Instead, it happened in short, painful bursts that left noticeable changes and marks when they occurred. His legs elongated and his shoulders widened. His face became slightly less boyishly round.

The releases of pent up growth came just in time to be explained to the public as a typical youth's growth spurts, but that didn't help him enjoy them any more. On record he was seventeen; but inside, he was now thirty years old, and at the same time still felt like he was twelve in many ways. With his bright red hair and cerulean eyes still giving their full effect, he became the target of many women and parents with young daughters with an aim to marry wealthy. Though he had no interest in romance, Gaignun sometimes used this fact as a distractor, a bargaining piece in his political game. It was annoying, but Jr.'s pride wouldn't let him say it was a bad idea.

At that moment, Gaignun was relaxing in a comfortable lounge chair nearby, going through bureaucracy that Jr. refused to touch with his handheld connection gear. His coat and tie were thrown neatly over the back of another chair, and his shoes were kicked off as well. The two of them were exhausted from a lengthy representatives' meeting, but a long list of documents still had to be read over and verified.

"I don't need any help at all," said the tall, dark-haired man sarcastically. "You just relax." To his surprise, no response came. He looked up to see the younger-looking man staring out the window with an uncharacteristically forlorn expression gracing his countenance. "Jr.?" he asked.

The older and yet smaller brother quickly snapped to attention and turned his head. "Huh?"

"You were day dreaming," Gaignun informed him. "You've been doing that often lately. Is something troubling you?"

"Its nothing," Jr. said, and went back to staring, though he was attentive. "Just... everything."

Gaignun heaved a deep, tired breath. "Somehow I think I know what you mean," he agreed. "Feeling lost, without direction perhaps?"

Jr. didn't enjoy sharing his private thoughts with his brother, since he would usually find something to tease. But Gaignun didn't seem to be in a teasing mood at this moment, and so he obliged. "I guess so," he replied. "Everything's falling apart, isn't it? And we can't do anything about it. It's just the natural plight of humanity picking back up again."

"That may well be true," Gaignun replied.

Jr. rubbed his hair with one hand and stretched the other into the air in frustration. "What are we supposed to _do?_ We were created to do something, and I expected that when that part of our lives was gone everything would be simple. But... now it's harder that its ever been before!"

"Life isn't easy," Gaignun said. "And up until now you've been able to get out of it... and I have too, with the excuse that we are URTV. We had a very well-defined purpose for existing."

"Yeah, I know that," he said, putting his feet back down on the ground. "But I'm trying to say... why can't we find a way to keep things peaceful? We fought hard, damn it!" He turned back to face his brother and caught his green eyes in a fascinating hold. "What are we doing here right now, Gaignun? We're paper-pushing to delay some inevitable change. All of our efforts to hold it back... its just sandbagging a flood that won't stop."

Gaignun stared back for a moment, and then sighed. "That's the life of a politician," he explained, "I understand your frustration. I'm a politician, and you're a soldier." He rubbed his chin and a small smirk appeared on his lips. "I bet you'd actually be happy if a clear-cut war broke out and you had an enemy to fight face to face."

"Hell yeah, I would," Jr. replied frankly. Gaignun shook his head at that kind of thinking, and a groan worked its way up from Jr.'s chest in response. "Fighting with the pen is nice and noble and all, but I'm no good at it."

"I'm not forcing you to help me," Gaignun said. "I can handle it on my own."

"Hmf," Jr. scoffed at the insinuation that he wasn't needed. "Yeah, what am I going to do if I'm not fighting or pencil-pushing?"

"Just live," Gaignun replied, knowing he was about to bring up a subject about which Jr. was touchy. "Socialize, find someone... maybe even give that realian friend of yours a call for once. You've earned a life, you ought to live it while it lasts."

Though he grimaced at the mention of MOMO, Jr. had learned that exploding at that suggestion in embarrassment was nothing but a surefire method of bringing more ridicule on himself. He shrugged and returned his attention to the scenery. "I've got a while to think about it," he said. "You're the one that's getting old, remember?"

"You've got me there," Gaignun agreed, and closed the file he was working on. It was time for a coffee break. "Perhaps we should both think of some way to socialize with our friends more often. That would cheer you up I think. Maybe you just need to experience what is we're torturing ourselves to protect a bit more yourself in order to make it worthwhile."

"I'm okay," Jr. said, dismissing the idea. "Really. There's no need for anything like that."

(3)

The Kukai Foundation was a hub of bustling activity, even more busy than it had been in years passed. Ever since the Gnosis stopped appearing, the population had risen dramatically. Crowds filled the streets, and names became difficult to keep up with. However, there were those who had just earned names in this metropolis who were eager to share them with everyone.

A 100-series realian, small like all of her kind, pushed through a busy crowd after stepping off of a public transport car. Her teal-colored pigtails bobbed up and down as she bounced along the sidewalks as quickly as she could. The morale of the foundation was still as high as ever, and those she collided with accidently in her hurry smiled at her deep apologies and went on their way.

As she approached the headquarters of the foundation's residential military forces, she saw a tall, blonde-haired man walking down the steps after exiting the building. "Ziggy! Ziggy!" she called out, waving one arm. In the other, she held a small container.

Jan Sauer had long since undergone life-extension, and after his battles were finished, he gave into even more treatment. He accepted realian pieces to replace many of his cybernetic organs and limbs. The name Ziggurat 8 no longer applied to him, but he answered to the nickname _Ziggy_ as long as there were those who cared to call him that. Hearing his name, he stopped to find the 100-series realian running towards him. Though he was ashamed to admit it, he still found it hard to tell the realian girls apart. After a few words he could make a good guess. Judging by her mannerisms and tone, this one was most definitely the one who took the name Ume, which he understood meant _plum_.

"No need to run, Ume," he said calmly, as the girl smiled up at him. Her face instantly reminded him of MOMO.

Before catching her breath, she held up the box she carried. "Lunch!" she said. "I know that you don't have breakfast often, so..."

Ziggy patted her shoulder kindly, and accepted the box. "Thank you very much," he said. "But... from the Durandal, you could have ordered for me, if that was your concern."

"Yeah but that's not the same!" Ume insisted. "I mean... you miss MOMO I bet, so the others and I decided we will take care of you. Homemade lunch is always better than army rations or something!"

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness," Ziggy said honestly, and smiled ever slightly. "I once thought that I would never again enjoy the taste of food. This means a lot to me."

Ume beamed in accomplishment and delight to see him actually express an emotion. "You're welcome!" she cheered with a grin. "We make lunch for Little Master every day, and we'll make lunch for you too!"

Ziggy decided it was good for the 100-series to receive praise for their good work, and that by doing so he might reassure them that they were more than just bundles of observational capabilities covered by artificial personality layers. "I would enjoy that very much," he said. "But please be careful running about the foundation in such a manner."

"Oh, I will," Ume said. "Anyway, I gotta get back to work now! Bye!" she waved her arm as she sprinted away.

Though he was on his way to a simulated operation himself, he watched the girl until she was out of sight and then took a moment to inspect the container's contents. It was similar to a Japanese bento, containing small samples of several kinds of food. A small note was inside.

_Thank you, Uncle Ziggy! Please let us know your favorite kind!_

It went on to list what each delicacy was and which realian had prepared it, noting which one was Little Master's favorite, and which recipe was a gift from Juli Mizrahi. It had small drawings and shapes scribbled on it here and there. He carefully folded the note and placed it in a pocket on the jacket he wore now over his realian-flesh arms, while reminding himself to write to Doctor Mizrahi, _Juli_, later to inform her how much each girl had grown.

(4)

That afternoon, Shelley stepped off the Durandal's bright red transportation shuttle outside the residential area while planning exactly how to word her announcement. She and her sister had worked out the finer details of her departure since that morning. It took very little effort with their connections to find out if any jobs worthy of Shelley's attention were available. Though many people were hesitant to hire a person with her questionable background, they quickly jumped at employing her with a reference from none other than Representative Helmer on her resume. She had a choice of many highly sought-after positions. In particular, a spot at the UMN Center looked promising. The mapping of unknown encephalon areas created by the collective consciousness of the Unus-Mundus was a revolutionary field that had only developed in the last few years. It was the perfect coverup for her sudden departure.

She walked elegantly down the hallways until she reached the director's hallway, where Gaignun, Jr., Mary, and herself all had especially plush suites. The door to Gaignun's room was a rich, dark wood, and on the opposite side, Jr. was most likely complaining about the boredom he was experiencing as usual. She smiled, took a deep breath, and rapped her hand against it.

"Come in," came Gaignun's reply. His voice sent a tremor through her that was unnoticeable on the surface, though she knew that he would be able to sense it. This was going to be harder than she anticipated. Collecting herself even more, she opened the door and stepped inside. She found Gaignun in a chair and Jr. in another with his feet on his brother's desk again. His eyes were puffy as if he'd been napping there until she knocked.

"My apologies. Did I wake you, Little Master?" she asked him.

"No way," Jr. lied, stretching his arms and yawning.

Gaignun was already reaching out to Jr. with their spiritual link. Fortunately that had not weakened, they still had each other. Jr. wondered why his brother was suddenly giving him the mental equivalent of a nudge under the table, as if prodding him to pay special attention. "Do you need something?" Gaignun asked casually as ever. Jr. raised an eyebrow at him, but his eyes were on Shelley.

"Yes," she explained. "It' is something I have meant to bring into focus for some time now." At those words, Jr. became even more worried, but he remained silent. Gaignun looked calmly up at her, welcoming her to continue. "I have decided that I would like to pursue a career in UMN research. I would like permission to leave your service, Master Gaignun."

She held at those words and awaited their reaction calmly, giving no trace of any hidden emotion for Gaignun's senses to lock onto. His face did not express surprise, but he remained silent for a moment, which proved that he was calculating his response nonetheless. "Of course," he said. "Master is an honorary term that you have so graciously bestowed upon me. I don't own you, Shelley. If you are unhappy here, then by all means, feel free to pursue any goal that you wish."

Shelley was stung by guilt when faced with his calm acceptance. "It is not that I wish to leave you," she said, and a ripple of emotion very nearly came out, "with all of this political pressure."

"That's not your concern," he insisted. "You don't need to feel indebted to me for saving your life when we met, because that was my mission at the time. You don't need to thank me for caring for you all of these years, because you have returned that debt many times over, and we are friends, Shelley. You would do the same for me, if it was you instead of me who was chosen to lead our group. I'm actually quite relieved and pleased that you've made this decision." He smiled, a rare, honest and warm smile. It was meant to ease her anxieties, but it only ripped her apart inside.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Now it was Jr.'s turn to speak. He had been holding still with his mouth open in shock, feet placed back onto the floor and hands on the desk. "Shelly, you just... can't leave!" he said, standing up. "You do mean really leave, right? Like not on the Durandal... not on the Kukai Foundation at all anymore?"

"Yes, Little Master," Shelley replied, unable to look at him, though this was a bit easier for her to control. She knew that he would accept it and wish her the best after the shock wore off.

_Let it go,_ Gaignun said softly and pleadingly to Jr. through the spiritual link. _This is best for her._

_I know,_ Jr. replied. _But she's... she's part of our family..._

_Most families naturally grow apart,_ he reminded him. _She's not going to cut us off, you know._

Jr. took a deep breath, realizing that this was true. "Sorry, Shelley," he said, forcing his characteristic grin onto his face. "Of course you can go, wherever you want to. I'm just... really going to miss you, that's all."

"I am only planning to go to Second Miltia," Shelley replied, as Jr. stood to walk over and take her hand. He was such a sweet young man, she thought in an almost motherly tone as he wrapped his fingers around hers. Suddenly she realized that parting with him really _wouldn't_ be any easier. "I'll be in contact, and Mary is still here, of course."

"Well, I can understand wanting to get away from your sibling," he said with a smirk, nodding towards Gaignun teasingly. His hand was squeezing tighter, however, as if he wasn't going to let her go. "When are you planning on going?"

"The new position will be open in two months," she replied, as he finally loosened his grip on her. "I'll need to make some living preparations before then, but-"

"Consider it done," Gaignun interjected, rising to his feet to join them. "I can buy a condo on Second Miltia within the hour. Just tell me what sector."

Though she had been prepared for Gaignun not to let her leave without some sort of pension, this was more than she imagined. She nearly gasped. "Master Gaignun-" she said, trying very hard to control her tone. "I can certainly pay a rent with little effort."

Gaignun smiled his comforting, painful smile again. "Think of it as a going-away present. I won't take no for an answer."

"Yeah!" Jr. said, suddenly jumping into excitement. "Presents! I'll get you something really cool too, and we can... oh I know! Let's have a going-away party!" Shelley didn't like the sound of that, but there was a lively sparkle in those blue eyes that she couldn't refuse. "We'll all have one last great time together-" he stopped when he said that, realizing that he had used the word, _last_. "I mean... the last great time we'll have together until the next time you visit, right?"

Shelley nodded. She could not say no to that idea. "Of course," she replied.

"Sounds like a plan," Gaignun replied. "I'll have someone set it in motion." He looked at Shelley and gave her an affectionate touch on her shoulder. "We'll talk more about it later. For now, I need to get ready for a meeting. I think there's a representative from..." he looked down, placing his hand to his chin in thought. "Now what was it today?"

"From the public school board, wasn't it?" Shelley answered for him.

Gaignun looked up. "Right," he said. "How could I forget? I'll make sure to review my notes on the way there."

Jr. shook his head as he passed Shelley, heading on his way out. "How are we ever going to get by?" he said under his breath. Though he didn't mean for Shelley to hear it, she did as she followed after him.

_I think you will find a way,_ she thought, but said nothing aloud as Jr. passed into his own quarters. It was far too early for him to turn in for the night, and so she wondered if he went to think about the news. Guilt racked her again. If there was anyone she did not want to hurt, it was her Little Master. But that hurt would fade and her departure would be a good thing for both of them in the end. It was time for something to change, and she was the first to understand that.


	2. Life on the Dammerung

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 2: Life on the Dammerung_

It was 7:00 AM on the Dammerung, time for all Vector employees to wake up and prepare themselves for work. All across the large colony of a space ship, young scientists with an eagerness to create were smacking their alarm clocks and trying to get that last five minutes of sleep. One of these was Allen Ridgeley, now head of the KOS-MOS project under First Division. He grudgingly rose from slumber and wondered if he could afford to be a bit late. Then the reality hit him that today was KOS-MOS's checkup, and he sprang out of bed. After hastily brushing his teeth, combing his hair, and putting on the blue-striped uniform that signified his rank, he grabbed his connection gear and headed for work.

On the elevator, he met John Bell, who yawned and scratched at his aquamarine-colored hair. "Hey there, Chief. Oh man... I shouldn't have stayed out last night!"

The elevator began to rise as Allen gave the younger man a disapproving smirk. "Why'd you go partying when you know we have to run a KOS-MOS start-up today?"

"Heh," he laughed, ignoring the light scolding. "Oh yeah, I can't wait. None of us has seen KOS-MOS in person in a few months. I can't wait to hear what she's got to say."

Allen sighed. "I wish she _did_ have something to discuss. If there was something to analyze, she could stay awake a bit longer."

"I know what you mean," John replied, as the elevator reached its destination. Both men stepped off and headed for the KOS-MOS project's main labs. "It makes me sad every time we put her back to bed."

They entered the large research room and found that many of the other members of the project were already hard at work. Half of the eight terminals that surrounded KOS-MOS's black container and the encephalon dive units were already occupied by their respective technicians. Allen saw the vice-chief, Togashi, walking towards him with two cups of coffee and stopped while John went to his own station.

"Morning Chief," Togashi said, and handed Allen one of the drinks. The tone which he addressed him in was slightly teasing. To the new recruits, Allen was the indisputable leader; but for John, Togashi, and the others, it was humorous calling Allen by the name _chief_.

Allen gladly accepted the caffeine-rich beverage. "Thanks," he said. Then noticing the knowing smirk on the younger man's face he grumbled. "What is it?"

"You got a call," Togashi chuckled. "From Third Division. It's Chief Uzuki on the line."

"S-Shion?" Allen stuttered, nearly spitting out the coffee. Even after all the time that had passed by and his admissions of defeat, the very name still had the power to make him jump.

"She wants to talk to you," Togashi replied with a grin, and then nodded towards a door in the back of the lab. "Over in the com room, line 2."

"Oh, okay..." Allen got ahold of himself, remembering that it was business as usual. Shion was probably just curious about KOS-MOS. He frowned sharply at the firm smack on the back his second-in-command gave him, and made his way to the room.

After making sure to shut the door behind him, Allen sat down, took a deep breath, and pushed the hold button to open the feed to Shion. Her image popped up on the screen in front of him, back turned to it and giving orders to somebody behind her.

"Hasn't MOMO come in yet?" she said in the frustrated tone that he was all too familiar with. "We could really use her help with that 100-series!"

Allen cleared his voice, not to get her attention, but just trying to work up the nerve to say something. She was still the one person in the universe that could cause him to choke up. She turned and smiled warmly, and her tension was suddenly gone. His was just piling up more, however. "Oh, hi Allen!" she said happily. "How long have you been there on the line?"

"Ah... just a second," he replied. "I didn't want to interrupt what you were saying.

"Huh?" Shion looked at him obliviously. "Well anyway, it's been a while since we last talked! I heard KOS-MOS is starting up again today, isn't she?"

"Yes, it's been several months since the last time..."

"Right!" she hurried on. "Time flies here, I've been working hard on these new 100-series specs!"

"Right, right," Allen nodded. "The new 100-series model. Miyuki keeps yakking about wanting to see it."

"Yeah, I bet she is..." Shion gave a short laugh. "Anyway, tell KOS-MOS that I said hello as usual, please! I would really like to see her! You don't suppose I could ah... come down there for a moment... do you?"

Allen groaned and rubbed his head. "You're not authorized anymore, chief... er, I mean Shion." Then he thought about what he was saying. This is exactly why everyone called him a whimp. "Well, I guess we could sneak you in... KOS-MOS herself is the only one who would tell on us. Everybody here would like to see you, I'm sure."

Shion sighed and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry I even asked. You're the chief now, and I shouldn't do anything to endanger your occupation. I'm just really missing KOS-MOS."

"Well yeah I understand," he said, truly sympathizing. "She's like part of your family... and you haven't seen her face to face since the last time we were permitted to take her on a walk. What was that... a year ago?"

"Thanks Allen," she replied. The traces of sadness in her voice were gone. "But I'm okay. Actually, the main reason I called was to ask if you've gotten an invitation to the big party on the Kukai Foundation."

"Oh yeah, I did," Allen nodded.

Shion laughed. "Oh, well then, I was going to ask if you wanted to come with MOMO and I, but I guess I don't need to extend the invitation after all!"

Allen grimaced in disappointment. "Aw yeah... I bet you doubted they'd remember me..."

"Hmm?" Shion leaned towards the com screen. "I didn't catch that... what'd you say?"

"Nevermind," Allen sighed. "Anyway, yeah... it was actually Shelley Godwin who invited me."

"Oh?" Shion mumbled in surprise, and appeared amused by the idea. "Do you think... Shelley might like you, Allen? She's always wanting to talk to you."

"Ha! I doubt that very much," Allen laughed in response. The thought of Gaignun Kukai's beautiful violet-haired vixen turning an eye to him was downright hilarious, from his point of view.

"What for? I've heard rumors that the new girls in First Division really like you."

Allen scratched his head. He knew that he should be flattered she considered him actual relationship material, even if it was for someone else. At the same time, it still stung a bit that she could talk so casually about it, while somewhere deep inside it hurt him a bit to imagine her with someone new. "Not as much as they like the numbers on my paycheck, I think... Anyway, Shelley's just trying to widen the roster on the guests list. Something about giving Jr. a surprise?"

"Oh right!" Shion laughed. "Several surprises..."

"I doubt Jr. would be seeing anyone either now that I think about it... but he'll still rag on me when I see him."

"Allen!" Shion scolded. "Not so loud about that! MOMO is here you know..."

"I see..." Allen scratched his head, wondering how things had gotten to this point. All of them were so out of place now, as if the way things ended back at that time left them with nothing to do with themselves. MOMO was working with Shion on a new project in Third Division. When he last talked to the girl she seemed happy, but not quite as much as those times they spent all together. "She is sensitive about those things still, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" came a small high pitched voice. MOMO's face popped into the screen, smiling sweetly as usual. She was wearing a Vector uniform with red stripes, making her look more like a very petite young lady than a little girl. "Hi, Allen!" she said energetically, and waved her hand at him. "Were you two talking about Jr.?"

Now it was Shion's turn to groan. "Yes, we were."

Allen was puzzled by their interaction, and noticed that something did seem guarded about MOMO's smile. She didn't let anyone catch it however, and moved quickly on. "Does that mean you'll be at the party, Allen?"

"Yeah," Allen said, grinning at MOMO's infectious cuteness. "Sure thing. Hey, how's your project going?"

"Well..." MOMO suddenly turned coy and slunk slightly behind Shion. "Almost set... the party is next month so... by then it should all be ready."

"Really?" Allen answered. "You mean we'll all get to see it?" The girl nodded bashfully and turned on her heels. "Well I can't wait. It's really too bad that KOS-MOS can't go, isn't it?"

"Hm," Shion hummed softly in agreement. "I wonder if she'll ever be able to go to our reunions again." There was a pause as both Allen and MOMO hushed themselves and look to Shion in sympathy. She noticed their concern and quickly painted on her smile again. "Well anyway, who _are_ you going to take, Allen?"

Allen mumbled in thought for a moment before answering. "I was thinking maybe I'd extend the invite to Miyuki... she's never met the Kukais and I know she would get a real kick out of it."

"Certainly would," Shion said, and then gave him a look that was slightly suspicious. "But Miyuki... really doesn't seem your type, Allen."

"Oh, I know, I know!" Allen said a little more loudly than he intended, shivering at the thought. "She'd have her own room and it would be on friendly conditions only, really!" He took a deep breath of air and exhaled it in a sigh. "I think Togashi would kill me for that one..."

"Oh?" Shion looked extremely puzzled. "Why is that?"

MOMO and Allen stared back at her wondering how she could be so oblivious to all things of a romantic nature. At the same time, Allen took comfort in the fact that it wasn't just him. Just as he was thinking of how best to change the subject, the door behind him opened with a mechanical noise. He turned at the sound to see that John Bell was there, giving him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir!" he said. "But ah... it's about time we got started!"

"Right," Allen groaned and turned back to Shion with a smile. "Well, I'll say good morning for you. I always do."

"Thank you," she replied. "See you at the party."

"Right. Bye." Allen turned off the connection and Shion's image faded away. He stared into the space where it was for a moment silently, and then heaved an enormous sigh, loosening his shoulders in defeat.

"Uh... sir?" John asked, still at the door. "You coming?"

Allen snapped back to reality. "Uh, right! Sure thing!"

(2)

After ending their conversation with Allen, MOMO carried a tray of beverages through their lab which was located in Vector's Third Division, where realians of all varieties from battle-grades to civilians were being maintained in upright platforms throughout. Most of them preferred water, while Shion and her human coworkers took coffee, and in large cups.

Shion took hers with a good bit of sugar and cream. Just as she thanked MOMO for the refreshment, the com system bleeped again. "Now who could that be?" Shion said in annoyance, sitting back down. MOMO leaned over her shoulder curiously as she opened the connection, and Miyuki's brighting smiling face appeared on the screen.

"Shion!" Miyuki squealed. "How are things?"

"Fine, fine," Shion grumbled. MOMO laughed softly at the reaction. "What do you want, Miyuki?"

"I want to see MOMO's hot new body!" she answered excitedly, clasping her hands together in anticipation. "You promised!"

"Yeah, yeah... I sure did," Shion reminded herself. "Just keep it secret okay? If it gets out before we're finished we'll all be out of luck."

"Oh, I know!" Miyuki pouted at the scolding. "I'll keep it in the same place as I keep all my new patents!"

"And where is that?" Shion asked, though she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Miyuki leaned over and whispered, cupping one hand to her mouth. "First Division's encrypted database, of course! It was really harrowing when I transferred in way back when, but the whole thing is like my playground now!" She giggled, looking quite pleased with herself, though Shion didn't share the sentiment at all.

"Well," MOMO interjected sheepishly, "at least its safe... there's nobody in the universe except for Miyuki who would hack into that."

Miyuki nodded in approval with that statement, though Shion groaned loudly. "Fine, I'll send it to you," she agreed, and began keying up a data transfer. "MOMO could use some feedback anyway. I keep telling her it's beautiful, but she's still worried."

"Well, I would be too," Miyuki said, empathizing with MOMO, while the transfer was going. "Growing up all at once has got to be hard work! Us humans get to work with what we've got over time, but poor MOMO has to perfect her beauty all at once! I think that outlawing trivial gene enhancements was a good idea... otherwise, everyone would be self-conscious all the time about designing themselves! Still, I'm envious of MOMO... You never have to go on a diet, that must be nice!"

"I don't think you need to diet either, Miyuki," MOMO replied with a smile. Shion was less interested, hardly even listening.

The moment Miyuki opened the file was marked with a loud squeal of joy. "Oh my gosh!" she giggled. "It is so cute! I can't believe it!"

"You can't?" MOMO said, frowning slightly. "I want it to be believable..."

"Aw, that's not what I meant!" Miyuki replied. "I mean I can't believe how... great it is! You make such a cute young adult, MOMO!"

MOMO blushed. "Thanks," she said modestly. "Shion did the design... I trusted her since she designed KOS-MOS's frame updates."

"Just one suggestion," Miyuki hurried on.

MOMO looked up in puzzlement. "What's that?"

Miyuki leaned over to whisper again. "If it was me, I'd increase the bust a few cups. You never know, it couldn't hurt!"

"No, no!" MOMO whimpered, and shook her head. "Miyuki, you're so bad... I don't want to look like umm... whatever I might look like..."

"Nah," Miyuki said, waving her hand. "You'll be megah-hot, that's all!"

"That's enough, Miyuki!" Shion cut in, to MOMO's relief. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

Miyuki giggled. "Its not like I don't have anything for you in return. Hee... look! I've got KOS-MOS's new frame design complete with our latest weaponry."

"New weaponry?" Shion replied, raising an eyebrow. "What for? I thought that the KOS-MOS project was currently on hold. There is nothing to fight!"

"Um," Miyuki looked at her with a slightly guilty expression. "It seems that the higher-ups want us to design regular weapons for her, ones that aren't focused on eliminating the Gnosis, now that they are gone. It's a real shame... without CEO Wilhelm around, they act like they can just use everything we've built for KOS-MOS for profit!"

Shion rubbed her head in frustration. "I had a feeling this would happen," she moaned. "I should have never left the division..."

MOMO gave her a pat on the shoulder in concern. "But Allen won't let them do anything to her," she reassured her. "That's why... he agreed to take the chief's position. So that you could do what you've always wanted to, and not worry about KOS-MOS."

Shion smiled softly to herself and looked down. "Yeah," she agreed. "I guess I can count on him..."

Miyuki had been unusually silent during this moment, but went back to excited bickering after a short pause. "Oh Shion! You need to get a date!"

"What?" Shion spat, looking up in confusion. "Where did that come from?"

Miyuki narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Whenever anybody talks about Allen you get mopey. He doesn't have a girlfriend either. Gah... you should both just get dates!"

Shion stuck her nose up into the air. "We are both just very busy people," she said in a huff. "Romance is not a prerequisite to happiness, you know. I'm perfectly fine like I am, and I'm sure thats how he feels too."

"Heh..." Miyuki shrugged sheepishly, trying not to laugh and anger her friend even more. MOMO gave her a knowing expression, and they both smiled. "Well," she continued. "I actually do have some work around here. I'm sure you do too! Great job on MOMO's new look, I can't wait to see it!"

"Yes," MOMO agreed. "See you later, Miyuki.

"Bye then," Shion added.

"Bye-ee!"

The screen flickered off, and Shion stood again, heaving a hefty sigh of her own. MOMO watched in amusement as she began to complain. "I swear... that girl gets the strangest ideas into her head..."

An assistant realian caretaker, whose name was Kusanagi, approached the two. She was a plain-featured young nurse recently assigned to the division. "Chief Uzuki," she addressed Shion. "We're still having that problem with the 100-series in stasis."

"Oh yeah," Shion remembered. "MOMO... I was hoping you could try linking with the poor girl. She's gone through some sort of mental trauma and has lost part of her ability to communicate. We've been trying to piece together what happened, but its no use."

"Okay," MOMO agreed with determination. "I'll do whatever I can to help!" She gladly stepped into the maintenance terminal beside the one where one of her teal-haired realian sisters was resting. Though small and soft-spoken, MOMO had an authoritative air about her when it came to aiding someone who really needed her help. She quickly situated herself on the upright bed and closed her eyes as it lit up. "Ready," she said.

"Yes Ma'am," Kusanagi replied, and began initiating the link program. This would allow MOMO to safely connect with her sister's personality layer and find the source of the problem within it.

Shion watched carefully as MOMO began to delve into the 100-series realian's mind. "You'll tell me if anything starts to happen, won't you?"

"Don't worry," MOMO replied.

"Hmm," Kusanagi smiled. "You do worry about others quite a lot for being so reckless yourself at times."

"Hey," Shion responded, taking minor offense to that statement. "I swear... you're starting to sound like Allen..."

"Connection in progress," the assistant responded. "MOMO... you should be getting her feed now."

MOMO nodded slightly with her eyes tightly shut. "I am... I see things..." She hushed as the realian's memories began to form in her mind, so real for that moment that she might mistake them for her own. "It hurts..." she said quietly. "Pain here..."

"What caused it?" Shion asked her gently.

As she continued, her words were hushed and broken. "She... was on assignment with a military unit... on one of the worlds in the recent revolt... I can't tell which one..." She took a deep breath and her eyebrows furrowed as she relived the girl's experiences. "There was a man there... who was kind to her. She... wanted to tell that man about her strong feelings for him... but she couldn't because... of what she is..."

Shion's eyes opened widely. "Romantic feelings?" she asked, astonished. "In a 100-series realian?"

"I thought their personalities were constructed to feel platonic love only," Kusanagi added, equally as shocked.

"They can evolve though," Shion replied. "Just like MOMO. I've just never run into a case."

MOMO's eyes turned behind her eyelids and she whimpered softly. Shion and Kusanagi returned their full attention to her. "She decided... to serve him in every way that she was able to... to stand by his side... because he was alone... but then..."

Kusanagi and Shion waiting in anticipation for the next development, but it never came. The 100-series beside MOMO yelped even in her sleep and began to cough. MOMO's bright golden eyes fluttered open, full of tears.

"He-he..." she stammered, short of breath. Shion rushed forward to help her stand, holding both her shoulders tenderly. MOMO looked up into her eyes and couldn't stop herself from crying. "Shion... they killed him... ripped him apart limb from limb... because he wanted to protect her..."

Shion stared at the sleeping 100-series in realization as MOMO rubbed her eyes and made her tears stop. She sniffled and realized that it wasn't just the impact of the girl's emotions that was making her upset, the story in itself was enough. "It's so sad... then she couldn't speak and so the army sold her to a third party, and they sent her here for repair, believing that it was a malfunction."

"I see," Shion said flatly, her eyes still turned towards the other bed. MOMO found her expression to be unreadable and the hand still placed on her shoulder was slack. "Kusanagi... wake her up. I'm going to talk to her."

The technician and MOMO both were unable to determine why, but didn't dare to question Shion. "Yes ma'am," Kusanagi agreed, and initiated the program to wake the realian from stasis.

Shion kneeled in front of the girl as she awoke. She was panting and tears were spilling from her eyes. "It's alright," Shion said in a comforting tone, patting the girl's head. "I know that it hurts... but you'll be alright."

"Please..." the realian managed to say. "Erase... this all..."

Shion smiled warmly. "Sorry... I can't ethically erase your memory. In time, I doubt you will want me to do that in any case. Listen..." she sighed, and gently touched the girl's cheek, raising her head to face her. "Memories are sometimes hard to bear. But bearing them as we do... that is what makes us human. You're as human now as any one of us. Now that you have shared your memories with us, the pain will numb. You're not alone, because we have all lost things that are important to us."

The realian girl sniffled, and began to shake. Then without warning, she began to bawl loudly and threw herself into Shion's arms. "It hurts!" she wailed. "I need him! I want to die!"

Shion held the girl and rubbed her back, letting her cry as much as she was willing to. "It's okay," she cooed as a mother would. "These feelings are all... natural."

Kusanagi watched in amazement, deeply moved by Shion's dedication and compassion. After swallowing hard, she returned to the console. "The problem has been cleared up," she said softly. "Now all that remains is some... therapy, I would suggest."

Shion nodded, but didn't say anything in response. Kusanagi turned to see what MOMO thought of all of this, and found her facing away, holding her hands to her chest. She was clutching the funny little charm she always wore around her wrist dearly. "Something wrong, MOMO?" she asked her.

MOMO snapped out of a daze and looked up at her. "No..." she answered. "I was... just thinking about someone."

(3)

KOS-MOS ENCEPHALON DATA ENTRY

UNKNOWN.

Data from all observable fields poured into the head of the artificial girl who had been sleeping for the most part since she took part in the Abel's Ark incident. KOS-MOS's sensory perception seemed to be malfunctioning. She turned her head in all directions, letting her crimson red eyes survey everything; but the images she saw were not the collections of data overlaid with functional analysis that she was accustomed to. Rather, they were a blur of sight and sound and touch. If a technician were present, she would ask them promptly how she should proceed. But there was no such person in range, and she was on her own, without orders.

Ruby eyes grazed over the emerald-green field in what might have been confusion. Logic told her that the blue sky, the grass gently swaying in the breeze, and the puffy white flowers that dotted the expansive landscape must be an illusion, some sort of encephalon field. She looked around for Allen, wondering if perhaps he was running a new test program for today, but there was no one there.

She glanced down at her own body, having not given it a thought until that moment, and found that remarkably, her flesh was vibrant peach-hued. She also gauged from her limited experience with the sense of touch itself that this surface was soft. The surface was bare except for a light construction of fabric the same bright white as those flowers. It was a very inefficient design that would certainly hinder her movements in battle. Before attempting to rip it off however, she was greeted by a voice.

"Good morning, KOS-MOS," he said. She raised her expressionless eyes to meet his. They were green, deeper green than the grass which her... _toes_... she guessed they were, brushed through.

"chaos," she responded. "Please explain your presence here."

The silver-haired boy smiled softly in his mysterious way, and turned his head up at the sun. "I can't really," he said. "I don't know why this is happening either. ...Is it a dream?"

"It is not likely," KOS-MOS replied in a flat-as-usual tone. "I do _not_ dream. If you can not explain this situation, then please instruct me in the best way to proceed. My sensory functions are offline and as a result, my ability to make judgments in this situation is severely limited."

"Oh," chaos turned back to her, still smiling and totally carefree. "Why not just sit down a while?"

"I do not see the need," KOS-MOS replied.

"Alright then," Chaos replied. "We'll just stand."

Taking steps forward, she crushed the white flowers underneath her feet with no regard for their artificial existence. As she did so, a grass bur jabbed into her flesh, drawing blood. She didn't flinch at the sharp pain that suddenly flooded her perception, and simply raised her foot to look at it. A small trickle of red was apparent.

chaos knelt to her feet on one knee in alarm. "Did you hurt yourself?" he asked, and took her foot in his hands which she noted were also bare. He removed the bur, and touched the small wound with his finger, hoping to heal it; but the power was not drawn forth. "Hmm... it seems I'm completely normal in this area as well. Well actually, it would appear that I _am_ normal, and that's the problem. How strange..."

"It's of no concern," KOS-MOS stated.

"But you're bleeding..."

She looked down over her knee and to him at her feet, with an expression that might be mistaken for offense. "I do _not_ bleed."

chaos laughed very lightly, and then rose to his feet. "I suppose it's just a scratch," he said. "But the fact is... you are bleeding, and I think that you are dreaming too. Even if your brain was crafted by humans, it still has a subconscious." He paused to see if she would give a response, but she did not. She looked up at him like a small child looks up to her teacher. He smiled warmly, and placed a hand on her shoulder. It was warm, a strange sensation.

"Well... I'm happy," he continued. "That you are dreaming about me... because this is the only way I can see you." His smile faded into a slight frown in concern. "You have been here all alone... How sad..."

KOS-MOS shifted her weight, and her posture remained robotic even though here she was flesh and bone. "You forget, chaos. I am a machine. I do not feel loneliness. Now please return me to my usual functions."

"That's not within my power," he sighed. "This is your dream. But do you really want to go back there?"

KOS-MOS was not empathetic in the least, but she had a set of predefined descriptions for facial expressions and other body signs. Apparently, chaos was saddened by that notion, though she did not understand the source of his turmoil. He held that way for a few moments before returning to his usual mildly pleasant smile. "If you don't have any feelings," he said, "then wouldn't that mean you don't feel annoyed either?"

"I do not."

"And you shouldn't feel concerned either."

"I do not, except for in cases where my programming dictates that I should."

"Well then," Chaos smiled and tilted his head. "If you aren't annoyed, and you aren't concerned, why don't you just stay here?"

"Your logic is sound," KOS-MOS reasoned. "I see no problem in remaining here, as long as it does not interfere with my duties."

"It won't," Chaos assured her. "I'm sure that you can wake up at any time."

Chaos sat down on the grass beside her feet.

"However," KOS-MOS continued, looking down at him. "Please do not attempt to coerce me into feeling 'human.' I assure you that I do not, and that I will not. I am merely a machine."

His soft laugher sounded again, though she was unable to find the humor in his words. "Then... why do you care? Just let your maintainers figure everything out. That's what you would do, if you were just a machine."

KOS-MOS sat down on her knees next to the strange young man.

"I believe my sensors are offline," she stated.

"Does... that make you feel vulnerable?"

"No," KOS-MOS replied. "I am simply programmed to preserve my own systems."

"And yet," he continued, looking up into the blue sky, "you put yourself into danger for us so often without being ordered to."

KOS-MOS noticed that he was looking up into the sky. She looked up as well, trying and determine what might have caused his attention to be placed there, but found nothing. There was only a white bird which couldn't possibly pose a threat to them, even in her weakened state.

"Does that creature have some value to you?" she asked him, attempting to understand.

"Yes," he replied. "It's a dove."

Silence followed.

"I do not understand."

chaos replied in his slow and somber tone. "I feel that... something is about to happen, and that you will be at the center of it, though I don't understand why. That spirit... she left you. So why... do I feel like this even still?"

"I have inadequate data to answer that question," she replied. "However... I will inform you if I should acquire a lead."

chaos looked down from the sky and into her eyes. For some reason, the feeling that overwhelmed her human body simply from receiving his smile could be equated to the warmth of his hands. "Thanks... KOS-MOS," he said. "It means a lot to me... that you want to help."

KOS-MOS blinked. "I am... happy to be of service."

There was a silence in which the wind blew past them and moved KOS-MOS's hair. It did not sparkle with the glow of a thousand microscopic lights, but took on a luster even more brilliant all of its own. The soundlessness of that moment, the android found somehow comforting. After an unmeasured length of time, chaos spoke again. "Hey... KOS-MOS..."

She looked up at him, waiting.

"I like this place," he said. "This is a world where I am normal too. I wish... that we could have a real world... like this one." He stopped himself, and laughed at his own oddities. "They are having this big party on the Durandal soon. I really wish that you could come... and that we could both be like this."

KOS-MOS nodded. "I agree, faced with your argument, that such an experience might be worthwhile."

chaos was overjoyed, and turned to her with a smile no longer calm, but beaming. "So why don't we try it?"

KOS-MOS stood up once more. He watched her as she moved gracefully, almost hoping to see her eyes a shade of blue, but they were not. They were a bright, bold, crimson red.

"Because in our world," she replied, "I still can not feel pain."

(4)

"Hmm... that's odd," John noted, as he observed KOS-MOS's subconscious waves. "There's a little bit of activity..."

Allen turned away from his position hovering worriedly over KOS-MOS's ebony black bed, wide-eyed. "Really?" he said. "Again?"

"Yeah," Togashi interjected. "Oh wait... looks like its going back down now. That was odd."

One of the new, younger female recruits giggled. "Maybe she's excited about waking up today!"

Allen sighed, relieved that it was nothing serious. "Maybe so," he mused. "Wait... KOS-MOS herself would get onto me for that one."

"Ha! Yeah," John agreed. "Well... it's all green now. Shall we commence?"

"Yeah," Allen answered. "Initiate start-up procedure. I want to ask her what that little tremor was before she's able to forget."

"Roger," the technicians of Vector's First Division replied. Allen strolled back over to the black container which held KOS-MOS sleeping inside. He remembered how horrifying it was awakening her the first time, and now it was a common event. He smiled as the small cylinders on either side of the android's bed hissed and the top portion of it lifted up like a clam's shell revealing its pearl, the sleeping blue-haired girl inside.

"Good morning, KOS-MOS!" he said, trying to sound as cheery as he possibly could. This was recited by half of the workers present. The phrase was now a part of KOS-MOS's waking ritual.

The android opened her lifeless red eyes. Her irises spun mechanically like a camera's lens, adjusting to the light in an instant.

"Good morning."

She found that her sensors were functioning perfectly. Her surroundings were familiar. Her body was back to its hard, metallic shell. For a moment she considered the idea that she was feeling an emotion known as relief, but refused to acknowledge that possibility.

Sitting upright in her sleek silver maintenance bed, she turned her head to glance over everyone present, and then locked eyes with Allen.

"How do you feel?" he asked her.

"All of my programs are functioning normally," she replied.

Allen scratched the back of his head, as KOS-MOS noted he would often do in times of stress. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Nothing strange at all happened recently?"

"Affirmative. Might I inquire as to why you would believe otherwise?"

He found her quick answer strange, even for KOS-MOS. "Ah... Your subconscious brain-wave patterns have been showing up off and on lately. They've been increasing a lot. We don't have any idea why. It's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it could be a great thing for you. So... you remember anything at all since the last time we talked in the encephalon dive?"

KOS-MOS remained silent for a moment. "Allen," she replied. "Please recheck my programs manually. I believe I am experiencing a malfunction."

"Really?" Allen replied, with intrigue. "What kind do you think?"

"I have decided to withhold information without being ordered to do so."

"What?" Allen spat. "What does that mean?"

"I do have a memory since that time, but I will not tell you what it entails. I apologize for this behavior."

Allen groaned at the remark and took a look at one of the terminals scanning her systems. "I can't believe it," he said, in awe. "Your networks... I haven't seen them evolve like this since-"

"Eh?" Togashi interrupted. "KOS-MOS... its not like you to keep secrets. What's up? Come on, you can tell us. Off the record maybe?"

"Nothing I say is _off the record_," she replied to the young man in distaste, and blinked her lifeless red eyes.

"KOS-MOS," Allen said, addressing her gently. "Do you think maybe... you had a dream?"

KOS-MOS only blinked again. Allen released a tired breath of air and dropped to his knees beside her bed. Togashi chuckled and shook his head in dismay at his mentor's dilemma.

"Are you experiencing fatigue?" she asked, now looking at him at eye-level from her seat.

"KOS-MOS," Allen continued with an unusual degree of affection. "The chief used to tell me about things like this- that you were capable of having dreams, and making your own decisions." He looked away from the android, deep in thought. "I used to think she was just being a romantic, but lately your data has shown so many odd things..."

KOS-MOS was silent, but listening.

"Please," he went on, looking back into her eyes. "I don't know why, but Vector has pushed the KOS-MOS development project up again, despite the fact that there haven't been any major Gnosis attacks in the last few years. They are giving us requests for all these new weapons. I'm afraid of what they might be planning to do with you. I'm worried about what will happen to you."

"There is no need for your concern," she replied coldly.

"Hm, yeah," the young female teased him with a laugh. "Maybe she just had a dream about a boy, and doesn't want to tell you about it. You are like her dad, after all."

"This is no time for bad jokes," Allen snapped to her, standing on his feet again. "Listen, we've got a lot of tests to run and there's no time to waste playing around."

"Right, right, _dad_," the girl giggled, and returned to her post.

Allen huffed in embarrassment and looked down at KOS-MOS. Her eyes were fixed on the girl who had spoken. "Did what she just said trigger something?" he asked her.

"No," KOS-MOS replied, as she stepped out of the bed and onto her own two feet. "Now. Will you not attempt to repair me before proceeding with today's tests?"

"You said it yourself," he replied with a shrug. "You're functioning perfectly. There's not much I can do about a problem I can't even detect. Sorry." He smiled weakly and put his hand behind his head again. "You know, since your network is based on the human brain, I suppose it's possible that you would keep things to yourself under certain conditions. Actually, it's not the first time you refused to tell me something."

"My refusal in the incident you refer to was due to a direct order," she replied. "At the time, you did not possess the proper authorization."

"No, that's not it," Allen sighed. "I'm just not as good at taking care of you as Shion was. I'm sorry."

KOS-MOS stepped next to him. "Do not apologize," she responded. "The efficiency of the project's development has increased by 15 percent since you assumed control. I believe this is due to your careful analysis of situations concerning danger. Shion, though a valued researcher, has a record of delving into dangerous experiments, resulting in system damage."

"Well," Allen laughed, remembering the many times he had to save Shion from her own devices. "I meant that I'm not good at taking care of your personal needs. But thanks for the compliment."

"You are welcome."

He smiled and examined her new appearance. It was a new design that Shion submitted, and he had pushed it to the designers under the table. KOS-MOS was now bedecked once again in silver and white. Black lace trimmed her neck, her boots, and gloves. Her visor was smaller now that the Hilbert Effect had been revised and condensed. It looked like a silver circlet around her head. "How does the new frame feel?"

KOS-MOS examined her new parts. "Many of the changes seem purely cosmetic," she replied, "but it is a success."

"I'm glad you like it," he replied. "Are you ready for today's tests?"

KOS-MOS gave another glance around the room, and then back to Allen. "Affirmative," she answered. "I am ready at any time."


	3. New Starts

(author's notes: umm... I realized that the structure I had set up for Vector's divisions was wrong so there were some minor edits to the previous chapters, but nothing you need to read over again. Sorry!)

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**   
_Chapter 3: New Starts_  
(1)

MOMO looked down at her hands. They were big, noticeably oversized in comparison to her tiny arms. They felt heavy and stung when at first she moved them like a thousand fire ants as every nerve in her skin connected into her neural network. But the point still remained, they were a woman's hands and she had them now. As the stinging, crawling sensation resided, she raised one to touch her face in wonder. Everything was in working order. Her skin was smooth, and her fingers warm against her cheek.

She looked up to find Shion standing behind a terminal at the other side of the white laboratory. "How are you feeling?" her friend asked, as she looked up from the examination table where MOMO laid in a short gown.

"I'm fine," MOMO replied. "It tickles a bit." She looked at her large hands and then around the room as if considering her words. "Is that all for today?"

"You sound so disappointed," Shion replied, almost with a laugh. "I'm afraid that it is. We will have to monitor the effect exchanging your extremities will have before we begin to replace the parts closer to your internal organs. In a few days, we'll do a whole lot more." 

"I know," she said sadly. "I'm just impatient. It will be done in time for the party though, right?"

A warm smile appeared on Shion's face as she walked towards MOMO and sat down beside her on the table. "Yeah, of course," she said, offering a comforting pat on the shoulder. "But remember, nobody grows up all at once."

MOMO had to smile inwardly at the bitter humor she found in her friend's words. "Thanks," she answered, half-heartedly. As she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, Shion noticed her rubbing her left wrist.

"Does it still hurt?" she asked in slight alarm. "I should run another check if it does."

"Huh?" MOMO snapped out of a daze, and looked down to catch what she was doing. "Oh," she laughed. "I'm just used to wearing my bracelet all the time. I guess my arm feels naked without it."

"Oh, okay," Shion nodded, touching the gem that hung around her neck. "I know how that feels."

Outside the realian laboratory, Juli Mizrahi was standing quietly in a corner, her face creased with worry. "I know that this is not mere cosmetic surgery," she said softly, "but what if something were to happen to her?" 

Ziggy stood nearby, his face a calm slate. "It's a bit too late for second thoughts," he told her. "We've talked about this before. Despite her mannerisms, MOMO is an adult capable of making her own decisions. Don't worry about her."

The deep concern twisting her face relaxed into a neutral expression, but she couldn't bring herself to smile. "I know," she said. "Its just that I haven't been a good mother to her in the past, and I was forgiven as if it was nothing. I can't bear for anything to happen to her."

"Its only her external parts, isn't it?" Ziggy replied. "I'm not knowledgeable in that area, but Shion made it seem very unlikely that the procedure would threaten her life in any way."

Juli nodded. "Yes... the procedure she is undergoing is quite similar to what you endured. In fact... it is even simpler since she is already a realian, the realian parts will integrate with her body seamlessly. You had to undergo physical therapy for quite some time, but this will not be necessary for her. The entire process will last only two weeks at most."

"But still... you're unsettled." 

"Yes," she admitted. "The idea of her body parts being discarded in itself is unsettling. To imagine that her hands are probably in a realian tissue bin by now... But I am a doctor, it shouldn't bother me."

"It is different when it is your own child," he replied. Juli agreed, and the door of the room they waited in hissed open before she could speak again. MOMO and Shion stepped out, both dressed in their Vector uniforms again. MOMO was smiling brightly, despite the unpleasant awkwardness of her hands.

"How was it?" Juli asked, managing to hide her emotional state very well. She returned the smile effortlessly.

MOMO held out her hands so that her mother could touch them. "Look see? It all works!" then she wiggled each of her fingers in turn. "I passed all of the exercises just fine!"

"That's great," Ziggy commended her.

"Let's all go to dinner," Shion suggested. " Before Ziggy has to go back to the Durandal?" 

"Sure," Juli agreed. "If MOMO feels up to it." 

"Of course," MOMO replied. "Don't worry about me. I want to spend as much time with you guys as I can. The Kukai Foundation and Fifth Jerusalem are both usually pretty far away." 

"That reminds me," Ziggy continued, as they walked towards the door. "You still haven't informed Jr. about this. He would have wanted to be here for you, I am sure."

MOMO looked down meekly and planted her new hands behind her back. "It's okay," she said. "I would rather surprise him." Ziggy decided to leave that situation up to her, and said nothing else. 

"I can't wait for the party," Shion hummed. "Can you?"

"Me either," MOMO smiled and shook her head softly from side to side.

(2)

"Huh?" Jr. stammered. "Wait... why can't I know when MOMO is getting in? I want to go to meet her!"

Mary and the 100-series realians who manned the bridge all stood around the bridge of the Durandal grumbling under their breath, kicking themselves for not making an excuse earlier. Shelley was about her business, refusing to participate in the collaborative effort to surprise Jr.

"Because," Mary said, stalling for time to think of something. "It's a surprise."

He put his hands on his hips, pushing back the tail of his coat, and scowled at her. "What _kind_ of surprise? MOMO didn't tell me anything about this when I sent her the invitation."

"You're too uptight, Lil' Mastah!" Mary replied, shrugging and trying to inch away. Jr. only took another step towards her. "Well geez, can't you just play along? For MOMO's sake?"

Jr.'s grimace stretched even more and he looked up to Shelley on the command console. "Hey, Shelley! What's MOMO's flight schedule?"

Shelley didn't so much as look down from her work. "I'm afraid I have no idea, Little Master. Besides... I think you're booked solid in preparation for the event. Unless... you want me to handle it."

"No, no!" Jr. retorted, and turned away from Mary, storming towards the exit lift. "Shelley, you don't need to lift a finger!" 

"Very well, Little Master," she agreed, and a very feint smirk appeared on her face.

After Jr. had descended on the lift and was well out of sight, Mary began to clap her hands. "Excellent performance, Shelley!"

Shelley was trying hard not to smile, but scolded them all the same. "I still deny any involvement in this entire matter."

(3) 

It was less than a month later when MOMO and Shion rode a standard shuttle from the Dammerung to the Kukai Foundation and arrived the morning of the date of the party. Gaignun insisted that he go to greet MOMO personally, since Jr. would not be going, thanks to Mary's distractions. Mary was intensely excited to see the girl's new body, and so she invited herself along. To avoid raising suspicion, Shelley decided to go with them as well.

Mary laughed as she bounced ahead of the other two. "Haha! So you had to come see MOMO before Jr. sees her too, huh?"

"I simply thought that it would be polite to greet her," Gaignun replied. "It has been a while since I last spoke with her in person."

"Besides," Shelley added. "I'm sure that Master Gaignun's opinion of her new appearance would be highly valued."

Gaignun smirked, getting the impression that she was teasing him. At any other time he would have made a remark, but it was different then. Shelley, the woman who had been constantly by his side since he was only 14 years old, would be leaving tomorrow. Coming to terms with the reality of that, he had been even more quiet than usual.

His odd behavior did not go unnoticed. Mary grimaced at the exchange and wished that she was currently hooked to her sister so that she could share the thought she was having at the moment. _Geez, he really does need a date..._

They lined up outside of the designated area in the docking bay where the lift was to land, the sisters standing on either side of Gaignun as always. A small navy blue vessel emblazoned with the red Vector logo descended from the air and touched down. A few seconds later, the hatch lifted up. Mary was nearly jumping up and down at that point.

MOMO's slender legs emerged from the shuttle, then she hopped out revealing her entire body. She stood five feet and five inches tall; clad in a white dress shirt, a red skirt, and a black bodice which hugged her waist. She grinned broadly at the three of them and began to wave with one arm, while the other held a piece of her baggage. She looked around the group wide-eyed, noticing that someone was missing.

Though Shelley and Gaignun managed to contain their reactions, Mary could not. Her jaw dropped wide open and she slapped one hand to her face. "Oh my dear lord!" she exclaimed, as MOMO began to blush a bright crimson. She ran to her and prompted her to turn around in order to let her see the changes from all angles. MOMO obeyed in embarrassment as Gaignun laughed softly.

"Welcome back to the Durandal, MOMO," he said gently, and moved straight to flattery, all at once turning on his charisma in full effect. "You look absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you," she replied. "But uh... where is Jr.?"

"I thought you knew-" Gaignun started, and then was abruptly interrupted by Mary.

"It'll be a surprise! Come on!" Mary stammered. Shelley and Gaignun had to suppress groans as they realized that MOMO had no part in the planning either, it was all Mary's grand scheme to pull one over on Jr.

"Well, okay," MOMO agreed, and giggled with a hint of mischief.

Shion emerged from the opposite side of the craft as this exchange took place, and walked over to greet them. "Hey guys," she said, and got their attention. "You like? MOMO is taller than I am now!"

"By golly, you're right!" Mary nearly shouted again. "Oh-oh! Is she taller than Lil' Mastah?" 

MOMO looked down, having never considered that before. "Maybe," she replied.

Shion began to laugh. "Her realian ID says she's 18!" she said. "Jr.'s ID claims that he is only 17!"

Mary and Shelley turned their heads towards each other and shared a vacant glance for a split-second before both began to laugh, although Mary was obviously much louder about it. "For the love of God, you're killin' me!" Mary struggled to say. "That means-HA! That means... MOMO is legal, but Lil Master is not! HA HA!"

A snicker escaped from Gaignun, even, as he turned to greet Shion. "I'm so glad that you could join us, Shion. It's been a while."

"Ah," Shion replied, meeting eyes with the tall, dark-haired man. His eyes were kind and inviting, but their green luster betrayed an otherwise entirely cool exterior. "Yes, good to see you," she replied in a short manner. "You've distracted Jr. somehow, I take it?" 

Gaignun smiled back at her. "Of course. He's totally preoccupied." His eyes broke their connection to Shion's and glanced into the shuttle, where there was baggage piled. "I'll have someone pick all of this up and take it to your room. You're sharing with MOMO, is that right?"

"Yes," Shion replied. "But I really can take it myself..."

He shook his head in disapproval. "Nonsense. You are our guest." 

Watching them intensely, Mary wished again that she could speak to her sister at the moment privately to make some comment on Gaignun's sudden good mood. When she looked over at her sister however, she found her far from disgruntled. Instead, Shelley was smiling and nodded ever so slightly in Shion's direction as if to direct Mary's attention. All at once, it occurred to her and they didn't need any sort of variant mental connection. _Right! Perfect!_ MOMO seemed to notice something amiss, but didn't feel the need to bring it up.

"It certainly is good to see you again," Shelley replied. "It's too bad that Allen won't be arriving until this evening."

"Oh, Allen?" Shion replied, oblivious to any ulterior agenda the Godwin sisters were hiding. "I haven't seen him in months either!"

Mary and Shelley looked at each other again and their thoughts were, for once, exactly the same. _Perfect._ Now MOMO was catching on and raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't we all go out for lunch?" Mary suggested. "We can all catch up, and I bet you girls are hungry!"

"Yeah, I am," Shion agreed with a laugh. "The food on the transport was pretty much inedible." 

"We'll have to secure a more suitable means for you to travel on the return trip," Gaignun replied. "Anyway, I would like that as well. Let's take the shuttle to the Kukai Foundation."

(4)

While his chipper subordinate, Mary, continued weaving plans for his demise (of a sort), Jr. took the duty of managing and scheduling the party itself. It certainly wasn't his forte, making sure that caterers and decorators showed up where they needed to be on time, but to put it in his own words, _it sure beats the hell out of office work!_ So here he was, walking back and forth over the Durandal with a connection gear in hand, being party overseer.

"Little Master!" a 100-series realian squealed in agony, as she hopped up and down trying to plant a shimmery light along the walkways of the residential area. "I'm not-" she grunted, still jumping, "tall enough!

"Whoa, hold on there, Kaede," Jr. laughed, and planted a hand on her shoulder, to stop the bouncing. He took the ornament out of her hands. It was an elegant temporary light fixture made of silver threads and . "You know the decorators we hired should take care of this," he told her.

"It'll go much faster if we all pitch in, though!" the girl corrected him in excitement. "Besides, its fun!"

"What, do we have an interior designer on our hands here now?" Jr. chuckled. "Nana is a little chef now, and Ume is an artist, right? You girls sure keep things interesting." She didn't respond, and looked up at the spot on the wall she was trying to reach in a prompting manner. "Oh alright, I'll handle it for you," he said. There was really no arguing with a 100-series when she started pouting. With a cocky grin, he began to reach up, thinking _Ha ha! This is no problem for me now!_ but his ego trip was short-lived, as he realized he couldn't reach the mark either.

"Could you use some help?" a gruff voice offered from behind. Jr. turned to find Ziggy there, still towering over him even though he was more or less an adult now. Of course, that was because some parts of Ziggy were still not quite human.

"Yeah, I'm sure party decor is your specialty, old man," he laughed, and handed the light to him. "I'll just stand back here and supervise."

Ziggy had no trouble reaching it, and put the light in place as Jr. watched. "Are there more?" he asked Kaede.

She nodded. "I'll go get them! Thank you uncle Ziggy!" and with that, she bounded down the hallway. Ziggy turned expecting a crack from his young friend, but Jr. said nothing about it.

"Do you know when and where MOMO will be docking today?" he asked instead.

Ziggy looked down and shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't. Juli and I agreed to meet her later because we'll be busy up until then. Why not ask a 100-series?"

"Oh, you mean all the mini-Marys!" Jr. scoffed in annoyance. "They're all up to something that has to do with MOMO, but I've got no clue what it is."

"Hm," Ziggy started, as if something had suddenly occurred to him. Then, he fell silent.

"Hm?" Jr. repeated. "Was that a 'hm, that's weird,' or a 'hm, I know something you don't?'"

Ziggy was saved from the interrogation when something beeped. "Hold on a minute, I've got a call." He placed a device against his ear and listened for a while and then began to reply. "Yes, I'll be right there." Jr. rolled his eyes dramatically as Ziggy gave him his attention again. "Sorry, I've got to go. Juli will be reaching the dock soon."

"Hey!" Jr. tried to stop him, but ZIggy was very good at not paying attention to him. This, of course, drove Jr. insane and rightfully so. "Man, everybody's treating me like crap today," he mumbled and rubbed his head. He heard a giggle behind him and turned to meet kaede face to face again. She was holding a huge container of the pretty lights.

"All of these on this hall!" she demanded sweetly. "I even found a stepladder for you!"

Jr. groaned and honestly wondered what he'd done to deserve this. It didn't seem like it was just a simple matter of Shelley trying to keep him preoccupied so that he wouldn't worry. Kaede nudged him impatiently when he didn't reply. "Ah, okay, okay!"

(5)

The streets of the Kukai Foundation were particularly busy by the time Gaignun showed the ladies to a suitable sector. The party that Jr. had intended to make a small celebration among a circle of their close friends was beginning to turn into an all-out event. Gaignun had decided that this would avoid any unneeded emotional confessions. In fact, he would be forced to avoid the others all night in order to pander to any diplomats showing up for the big show. It was strange for him thinking of ways to avoid Shelly, but he knew that they were both aware of the reality of the situation between them. Their friends trying to push them together would only cause an uncomfortable situation that Shelley didn't need to deal with.

Or rather, Gaignun thought that he knew exactly what was going on behind Shelley Godwin's violet eyes; but like most women are, she was a bit more difficult to second guess. Even Gaignun with his empathetic powers and hypnotic voice could not prepare himself for what the Godwin sisters were trying to do to him.

Each sister took one of MOMO's arms. "Oh, MOMO! Do you have a gown to wear?"

"A gown?" MOMO stammered, surprised by the double-attack. "Nobody told me this was a formal occasion!"

"Oh, we'll have to buy you one," Shelley quickly insisted. "Nothing too fancy, but definitely something nice."

"Yeah, let's knock the socks offa' Lil' Mastah!" Mary agreed. 

"There's a store right over there," Shelley pointed, then turned to Shion and Gaignun. "The two of you might as well go on ahead of us. Shion is hungry isn't she?" Gaignun looked at Shelley strangely, then at Shion for approval.

"Sounds okay to me," Shion replied with a grin. She didn't want to seem rude so she agreed, but in reality she felt that going to a place alone with Gaignun was just slightly alarming. It could be said that her track record with men was not the greatest. WIth men, she always took things for what they were on the surface, and had run into a few unpleasant situations that way to say the least. In spite of that, she told herself that it was silly to feel intimidated by this man who was her host as well as a friend. So what if she didn't know him very well, she told herself, this would be the first chance.

"I suppose we'll go then," Gaignun said. "We'll meed the two of you back at transport at thirteen-hundred, how's that?" 

"Yes, sir!" Mary chimed, and gave a playful salute. "Let's go, MOMO!"

MOMO suddenly found herself being shuffled off by the Godwin sisters before she knew what was going on. "Are you sure?" she whimpered. "What about...?" 

"Don't worry about nothin'!" Mary said, hushing her.

After they were gone, Gaignun sighed and began to lead Shion towards their original destination, a restaurant that lay just a few blocks farther. "I'm sorry," he said in a heavy tone. "I honestly don't know what all that was about. Jr. likes to call that a _Godwin Sister Moment._"

Shion smiled warmly. "They get along so well as sisters. I wish that my brother and I were so compatible."

Gaignun stifled a laugh. "Yeah, well the same can be said about mine, that's for sure."

"I really don't mind though," she continued. "You know, you keep yourself so busy, I've never gotten a real chance to talk to you. I hear a lot from MOMO, though." 

"You seem to have plenty of responsibilities yourself," he responded. "You're no longer working on the KOS-MOS project, are you?"

"No, I am in the realian division now." 

"Ah, right. You headed the project for MOMO's body." He rolled his shoulders a bit, a sign of anxiety that no one would ever be able to interpret as such. "You'll have to forgive me if I forget something important. I'm long overdue for a break myself." 

Shion chuckled. "Yeah, it seems like this party was just in time for everybody."

They reached the doors of the restaurant, which Shion was surprised to find was an incredibly high-class establishment. Then again, she wondered why she had been expecting anything else. As they entered, Gaignun only had to show his face to get them seated without reservation.

Once the waiter had seated them and taken orders for drinks, Gaignun resumed the discussion while Shion pursued the menu. "I'm thankful for this opportunity to speak with you though," he said, while she tried to discern what all of these foreign names were and how much they might cost. "I've thought about contacting you in the past, but I was afraid of tearing open unpleasant subjects at a bad time." 

"Unpleasant subjects?" Shion asked obliviously, looking up from the choices. "Like what?"

"Well, let's not ignore it," Gaignun said hesitantly, "we met under circumstances that are far from normal."

"Oh, right," she replied awkwardly. "I suppose I know more about you than most people. Is that it?"

"Partially, yes."

Gaignun hushed as the waiter returned with their drinks. Both of them had simply ordered water. "Have you made your selection?" he asked.

"I'll have whatever your special for today is," Shion quickly stated, not caring to decipher the menu.

"I'll have the same then," Gaignun replied. "Everything here is good."

"Why, thank you, sir!" the waiter beamed. "The chef will be so happy to hear that!"

The delighted young man skipped off to place the orders, and the two returned to their thoughts. "Actually," Gaignun continued, "it's more a matter of your own special abilities that I'm interested in."

Shion started a bit at that. "M-mine?" she stumbled. "I don't really have any umm... powers..."

"Please don't be concerned," he said comfortingly. "If it's something you would rather not talk about, we don't need to approach the subject."

"It's okay," Shion replied, recovering from the light shock. "It's nothing, really." 

"Alright then," he agreed. "But it's not really powers that I am talking about, either. You see, you have a sort of special immunity, a defense against certain elements. One of those things would be my own powers."

"Is it really okay to be discussing this in the open?" Shion interrupted, looking about the room nervously.

"Yes," he replied. "You see... I know that these people are paying no attention to our conversation. A few of them were pleasantly surprised to see me show up here, but other than that..." 

Shion studied him intensely as he scanned the room while he spoke. "That's part of your power?" she asked him, amazed. "I didn't know that..."

"I'm never sure," he replied, his voice sounded distant all at once. "Are these people disregarding our words of their own free will, or is it because I don't want them to listen?"

"Huh?" Shion was getting very lost at this point. "What do you mean by that?"

"I have powers of hypnosis," Gaignun replied, smoothly. "It's a convenient thing to have. It gets you far in the world. However, I'm never entirely in control. It's gotten much less severe ever since that incident four years ago, but even now... Do these people really not hear us, or are they merely charmed into turning away?"

"_Hypnosis?_"

"It's a scary thing. I like to think that I am in control of this power, but I can't truly trust that anyone isn't just doing as I say because that is what I wish them to do. Not anyone on the Durandal or within the Kukai Foundation, not even my own brother is immune." She stared back at him speechlessly for a moment. He raised his glance, two pairs of green eyes delved straight into each other. "You're the only one who I don't have any affect on in the least." 

"_Me?_" Shion gasped. "Why me?" 

"To tell you the truth, I've never been absolutely certain," he explained, his tone turning casual again. "I never did quite understand why you are able to hear the Song of Nephilim at all, much less why it doesn't drive you the least bit insane."

"Yes," Shion agreed, deep in thought. "And another thing... Jr. and the others also met Nephilim, but I was the only one who was able to see her in the real world." 

Gaignun, even without his extrasensory powers, could easily tell that the subject was making Shion uneasy. "Thankfully, it looks like we will never need to find out," he reassured her. "Zohar, Gnosis, U-DO... these are all things that will never haunt us again. Jr. and I are just thankful and lucky to be allowed to continue existing in this world even though our purpose has been served. That is why we feel obligated to serve this new era to our fullest."

Shion inhaled deeply and released the breath, a calm washing over her again. "That's a wonderful outlook on things," she said. "Me, I'm just happy being a normal person now."

"I know," he replied. "I'm sorry to bring it up at all. I just thought that you should know, because its the reason I feel comfortable speaking with you. Of course, I think that's how everyone feels about you."

"I don't know about that," Shion laughed. "I can be pretty dense sometimes!"

The young man waiting the table returned with their orders. Shion was pleased to find herself looking at a plate full of delicacies from across the galaxy, all of which smelled wonderful.

"I'm sure that's not true," Gaignun chuckled just barely, then hushed again. "I would like to ask you a favor, if it's not entirely hard for you." 

"Anything!" Shion replied, nearly melting in delight as she took her first bite. 'Wow, this is really good..." 

"Shelley is going to be moving to Second Miltia," he explained. "I have a feeling that she is doing this for my sake, but I think that it is the best for her. My powers apply to her the same way as they do to everyone else. Although I don't worry about Mary at all, her dedication worries me. If she could move on, then I'd be so pleased."

"I'm sure that's not the reason..." Shion replied softly, and her voice trailed off.

"I hate to ask this," Gaignun continued, "but could you invite her to Second Miltia for me somehow? You and your brother live there... it would be nice if she had a few people she could trust." 

"Ha ha," Shion laughed softly. "You sound like you want me to find her a date!"

Gaignun shrugged. Shion was not mistaken when she wondered if she detected a hint of embarrassment. "If you have someone in mind, it certainly wouldn't hurt."

"I was kidding," she laughed again. "The only guy I know on Second Miltia is my brother and she certainly doesn't want that lazy bum."

Gaignun nearly snickered at her tone when referring to her sibling. "I'm not sure what to do about Jr. either," he answered. "Older brothers, quite a pain huh?"

"Older?" Shion considered for a moment. "Oh yeah, that's right!" She laughed more loudly. "I had totally forgotten!"

"I just hope that MOMO is a patient woman," he sighed.

(6) 

MOMO's patience was being tried at that very moment, in fact. She was coming out of the dressing room for the fifth time in a new dress. This one was bright blood red. "It's Lil' Master's favorite color!" Mary insisted.

MOMO groaned and looked at herself in the mirror. "It makes me look like a lounge singer from a cheesy movie..."

"I agree," Shelley added. "Mary, let MOMO pick."

Mary pouted at the light scolding. "Oh fine!" she retorted. "I can't help it, I think these would all look cute on her!"

Shelley calmly helped MOMO to make a selection. "These are all figure-fitting," she said, waving her hand elegantly towards one rack, then another one, "and these are loose ones."

"Wow this one would make her boobs look great!" Mary interjected, holding up another one. Shelley shot her a disapproving glance and she put it back down.

MOMO saw something that caught her eye and smiled. "This is nice," she said, pulling out a black dress. It had a low-cut back and a white cross design over the front. 

"Ooh," Mary gaped. "Go try it on, I want to see!"

MOMO tested the dress and was pleased with how it looked. The Godwin sisters approved and helped her select shoes and accessories to match it. After their their shopping excursion was over, the three went back to the docking platform to meet Shion and Gaignun. Both parties approached at nearly the same time and reunited at the entrance.

"So how did lunch go?" MOMO asked Shion curiously, out of earshot from the others. "I was a bit worried about you, but its not like I had much of a choice." 

"Oh it was fun," Shion reassured her. "I was more worried about you!" She laughed and then noticed the packages MOMO was carrying. "I want to see your outfit when we get back. Oh, and we can do your hair and make-up too."

"I don't think all of that is really necessary," MOMO replied meekly.

"Well, it could be fun," shion replied. "You can't be afraid to try new things once in a while." 

MOMO smiled and took that to heart.


	4. Reach Out

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 4: Reach Out_

(1)

The night of the event, which had been terribly blown out of proportion since Jr.'s innocent idea was uttered, the Durandal was lit with all sorts of sparkling fixtures. The lighting throughout had been dimmed, and hundreds of golden nano-machines like those from the park were ordered to float in every area. To the crew, it was like an entirely different place.

Even the bridge was redecorated, though everything was still battle-ready. The Durandal hadn't seen a real battle since their last Gnosis encounter, but everything was always ready to go, if only to give the crew a feeling of importance.

One 100-series realian was particularly amused with the idea of having environmental bugs on the bridge, and hopped about catching as many as she could between her palms, and then releasing them all in a burst of sparkling golden light.

"Go to the park if you're going to do that," Ume scolded. "You'll trip into someone here."

"Aw, but I could catch bugs in the park any old day!" Nana replied.

The sound of the entrance lift rising caught both of their attention. They turned their heads to see their much-adored red-haired commander appear on the bridge. "This isn't a place to play," he said, grinning. "Come on, you're all off duty unless there's an emergency."

"You're looking very nice," Ume noted with a playful smirk. Jr. was dressed for the party in the usual reds and blacks, with a long coat accentuating his shape fluttering behind him as he walked.

"And you're still wearing your uniforms," he frowned, looking at all of the 100-series realians still working away, despite the fact that there was no work to be done. "Come on, everybody's off duty, right now! That's an order!"

Kaede lowered the floating platform overlooking the entire area from the heights where she worked and hopped out. "You don't have to tell me twice, come on everyone!"

Jr. felt a tug at his sleeve and glanced over his shoulder to find child-like Nana gazing up at him. "Little Master," she said in a hushed voice. "I can tell you were MOMO is now."

"Oh, you can?" Jr. happily acknowledged, and bent over, placing his palms on his kneeds to be at eye-level with her. "That's a girl, I know I can count on you!"

Nana grinned devilishly. "She said to meet her at the park!"

"Oh, okay! I'll go right now!" and with that, Jr. dashed back to the lift. "Take off, all of you!" he commanded one last time, as it lowered.

Nana giggled. "He's funny."

"For being such a smart guy he doesn't pick up on things very quickly," Ume added with a shrug.

(2)

A Vector-brand craft touched down in the Durandal's docking bay shortly before the party was scheduled to begin.

"Eiee!" Miyuki squealed, as she fell right out of the transport shuttle. Allen caught her though rather much against his will. More acurately, she landed on him.

"If you can't walk in heels, don't wear them!" he complained loudly, as Miyuki regained her balance.

"I can walk in heels for your information," she said with a huff, "I just missed the step, that's all!"

"Never mind," Allen groaned, and rubbed his head with both hands. He'd been sharing a compartment with Miyuki for several hours, and needless to say, his nerves were frazzled.

"Well, thanks for the ride, Allen!" Miyuki chimed, and began to walk away. "See you at the party!"

"W-what? Wait! We're supposed to show up together!" but it was too late for Allen at that point, he had already been forgotten. "Why do I even bother..."

(3)

"Is Allen coming to the party here, do you know?" chaos asked in his mild tone.

"I would assume so, from the fact that he has scheduled for the next two days off."

"I'm looking forward to seeing him."

Nothing.

No response. Of course not. That wasn't something that KOS-MOS was programmed to care about. Or rather, as he was beginning to believe, it was something she was programmed not to _let_ herself care about.

chaos had spent the last few hours staring complacently into the blood-red eyes of his cerulean-haired acquaintance, trying to come up with topics that might ease her out of her metal shell; but unfortunately, chaos was not the best at conversation either. Both found words that lacked importance not worth speaking, and so they simply sat there in the flowers, staring at each other. KOS-MOS continued to insist that she was incapable of escaping this strange encephalon construction, and chaos did not want to wake up from it.

Then, a topic came from KOS-MOS herself, when he was least expecting it. "Something has occurred, and I believe it may be cause for alarm. Might I ask you to assess the situation?"

"Of course," chaos replied in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Allen has informed me of several branching networks and a high level of subconscious activity taking place within my mainframe, and upon looking into the problem myself, I have discovered a great deal of memory and data that I was unaware of creating."

"What does this mean?" he asked her.

"To restate in such a manner that you might understand: I have begun to remember doing things that I have not done."

chaos was worried, but his expression lightened ever slightly. "You mean that part of your memory returned?"

"No," she replied, crushing the small seed of hope that had begun to grow in his heart. "It is as if someone has recorded an action and uploaded it into my memory."

"What kind of actions?" chaos asked, putting his thoughts aside. "What were you doing in these memories?"

"It is difficult to determine exactly. These memories are out of context and order, as well as partially deteriorated. But they include plans for the KOS-MOS reactivation program, and the renovation of a space station. I could not find any information pertaining to this structure in my own database, or with the assistance of the UMN. In addition to these two points, someone has been accessing my existing memories without authorization. The likelihood of an outside source accessing my memory network is less than 0.00000000001, I might add."

"That sounds serious," chaos replied. "At one time, I could have told you exactly what the problem was, but now... I have no idea. My best guess... is that Vector's second division is carrying out some operation without your knowledge, and using your memories in the process."

"That is plausible," KOS-MOS replied. "However, I can not think of any reason as to why they would value these memories in particular."

"Hm?" chaos wondered curiously. "What memories are they?"

"Three incidents, all encephalon dives."

"I could see them having a use for that..."

"Perhaps."

Then it was silent again. KOS-MOS apparently had nothing else to say. He began to think of more specific questions to ask her about the issue, but she cut him off before he could speak.

"According to Allen's schedule, the event which you are meant to attend will be starting in 15 minutes," she said flatly. "I suggest that you take your leave now."

"This is more important than a party," chaos explained, "no matter how much I was looking forward to it."

"Debating this problem without further information is futile," she replied sternly. "Please arrive on time and ask Allen to return promptly."

"Oh yeah," chaos said with a smile, standing. He stretched his arms over his head lazily. "I forgot that you're a stickler for schedules." He looked at her one last time before waking from the dream. It hurt him to leave, even though he could exit at any time, he had no control over when he would return. "Take care."

"My self-preservation systems are functional," she reassured him.

He laughed. "I'm glad."

(4)

Jr. walked with his hands shoved into his pockets. Reality followed him slowly, and eventually managed to catch up. He wondered what he should do. He wasn't dense enough to be totally unaware of MOMO's feelings towards him, but he had hoped that they would go away after a while. He wanted things to just go back to the way they were, not to change. Most of all, he didn't want to change _her_. His steps slowed as he wondered if he would have changed himself, if he had a choice in the matter.

He entered the park, unnoticed by the enormous crowd that had gathered there, and upon finding MOMO nowhere in the premices, sat down one of the benches in front of a view of the sideways skyline of the Kukai Foundation. The ever-present drifting spots of light provided him with little comfort as they reminded him of MOMO more than anything else. He sat trying hard to think, and idly stared at his palm where the same numbers were written in red as always. After his usefulness was spent, he would have given anything to be a normal person, that was true. But even if he'd grown into a normal body now, he was still marked for what he was. That fact wasn't going to change. This isn't what he wanted.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. MOMO was going to be here and he hadn't seen her in person in almost a year. They still spoke frequently over the UMN, they were still the best of friends. Outside of Gaignun, Mary, and Shelley; and of course, after his long-departed twin, MOMO was the closest in existence to him. Nothing hit him harder than the nostalgia he felt when he remembered that year they had spent working together, side by side between the major incidents involving Abel's Ark. She was his loyal companion, always there for him and never asking more from him. He laughed bitterly at himself as he realized once again that it was true that he wished he had an enemy to fight. That would give him an excuse to be with MOMO again without feeling awkward or out of place.

"Lost on your own ship?" a voice asked him, from just behind the bench. He identified it as MOMO's without even having to question it, and his eyes popped open with a start. She laughed softly as he stared up at her. "I don't think this is where they are holding the party."

Jr. found himself looking straight up, and upside-down, into a pair of eyes that he knew very well, though every realian in the universe possessed the same. Everything else was slightly different, however. Her features were more elegant in such a way that showed an intended family resemblance to Juli Mizrahi, and her neck was long and slender. With his mouth hanging open, he blinked twice to make sure he wasn't imagining things before springing to his feet. "MOMO!" he exclaimed. "W-what did-"

MOMO smiled, clasped her hands together behind her, and began to rock on her heels in a fashion that was unmistakably her own posture. Looking at her entire figure right-side-up, he observed that her body was a young woman's in all respects. "Well you recognize me, so that's a start," she said sheepishly. "Surprise..."

"Surprise?" he repeated, still feeling completely blind-sided. "What happened?"

MOMO looked down, feeling a twinge of shame set in. She hadn't expected this to be easy, but he was looking at her with such a horrific expression. "Well, I... was offered this opportunity to change my body mass and shape so... I took it."

Jr. forced himself to take a deep breath and consider this rationally. "I'm sorry," he said, and shook his head clear. "I'm but this is a real shock so suddenly... why didn't you tell me?"

MOMO turned and stared idly up at a floating golden point of light. "I just didn't want to seem artificial," she said softly. "I knew that you'd probably tell me it was a bad idea anyway. You'd probably tell me that even though you've changed yourself, you haven't found any happiness."

He watched her for a moment as he regained his bearings. Taking a few slow steps, he joined her on the other side of the bench, under a softly glowing lamp. The crowds of people goofing off became noise in the background as he took in the sight of her. It was totally unreal. She was so different from what he imagined when he thought of MOMO, and at the same time she was so obviously no one _but_ MOMO.

"We haven't seen each other up close in so long," she continued. "So I thought... maybe we could just pretend that I grew up. Um... instead of changing all at once like I did."

"I wish you had told me," Jr. disagreed, shaking his head. "I should have been there for you."

She raised her head timidly. "Then... it doesn't bother you?"

"Of course not," he replied firmly, although truthfully he was going to have to think about this for a while. For now though, he resolved that no matter what, he should support her and make her feel comfortable. "As long as you are still the same MOMO on the inside, it doesn't matter to me at all."

"Really?" MOMO nearly squealed. The golden light in her eyes sparked with excitement. "Oh, I'm so glad!" She jumped and threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him over.

"Whoa, watch out!" Jr. laughed, as he took a few steps back under the sudden attack. "It's been a while since I've been tackled." He held her for a brief moment and remembered how this used to happen not so rarely.

MOMO backed up a bit and smiled shyly. "Sorry," she apologized. "I'm not completely used to my weight yet."

He looked down, glancing at the slender hand that still held his arm the way it often did when it was small. "Let's go to the dance then," he said, and his eyes rose back to hers sincerely.

She nodded in agreement, and he began to walk, allowing her to remain attached to him. He noticed a few jealous glances as they exited the park, and his pride at the realization soon turned to scorn as he realized that he must look just like Gaignun with a woman hanging off of his arm. He grimaced at the very thought, and decided instead to take MOMO by the hand, which pleased her a little more than he expected. Her face turned a delicate shade of pink, the same way as it always would.

Though her hand was warm and inviting, at the same time he felt awkward. As innocent as it might appear, this _hand-holding thing_, as he labeled it in his mind, was a symbol of something that he was afraid to express through words. Whether he said it or not, the message was being conveyed, and he wasn't sure if he wanted it to be.

Once they were on the tram that connected to the other sections of the Durandal, he tried his best to end their hand-holding in an inconspicuous manner. He didn't want to send a message of rejection either, he didn't want to think about it at all. He asked himself why he was being subconscious, that definitely wasn't his style. But, he couldn't answer his own question.

"Is the party really taking place in the hangar?" MOMO asked, giving him some relief from overbearing thoughts. She seemed a little disappointed when he let her go, but nothing was wrong.

"Yeah," he replied. "One of the storage rooms was pretty much empty since we haven't had a need for backup ammo in years, so Gaignun got it in his head to convert it into some kinda convention center. Right now it looks like a ballroom, its the strangest thing."

MOMO giggled. "Gaignun gets the most creative ideas," she said.

Jr. groaned softly at that. "Yeah, creative isn't what I'd call them," he said. "I just wanted to have dinner with Shelley, that's all! But then, the Kukai Foundation itself was supposed to be nothing but a refilling station for a military faction... now our biggest income is tourism."

"Well I think it's a good idea," MOMO said sweetly. "Shelley doesn't like being the center of attention, that's why she's so quiet."

"I don't know about that. She's quiet, but when she does talk, boy does she talk..." Jr. mumbled, remembering all the calm but precise remarks Shelley had jabbed him over the years. "I'm kinda gonna miss that."

MOMO smiled sympathetically. "I'm sure that you'll stay very close," she reassured him.

Jr. took a long look at her, and his face lightened into a smile. "Thanks," he told her. "You know, everybody's been saying that to me, but hearing it from you means a lot more, because well... we've been separated, and we're still friends."

"Of course!" MOMO beamed, delighted to be of help. She opened her mouth to say more, but then stopped herself from speaking.

As he wondered why she hesitated, the tram came to a stop at the hangar. He passed it off as nothing important and they stepped out into the center of an enormous crowd. The staff of the Durandal and special guests were being admitted first. A sea of people had gathered waiting for their chance to enter.

"Damn, it's like a concert or something," Jr. complained.

The large group of the Durandal's crew and inhabitants from the Kukai Foundation formed in front of four glass double doors, each lined in silver and marked with the Durandal's trademark logo. The sound of musical instruments being tuned could be heard over the murmur of the crowd from inside as they approached.

"You know," MOMO laughed, "when I first came to the Durandal, I thought it was more like a luxury hotel than a battleship."

"Yeah," Jr. agreed, leading her through the eager assembly, "it seems that way now more than ever." Then he lifted one hand to cup his mouth. "Hey!" he yelled. "Coming through!"

After realizing the source of the voice, several members of the horde began to apologize and make way for their Little Master, who was a popular face even though he was not quite so little anymore. The two reached the doorman with little effort and were admitted automatically into the brand new ballroom.

The room was in the shape of an oval several acres wide, and echoed the voices of the few people who had been allowed entry thus far, along with the sounds of a live band preparing in a booth along the wall to their right. Silvery trees with branches of twisting lights lined the white walls and illuminated the marble floor. Scattered like oasis in the expansive structure were tables piled high with food and drinks, along with decorative scultures. Soon hundreds of party-goers would fill the empty spaces between them. In the center of the room the floor lowered into an area clear for dancing. The roof cascaded upwards into a skylight dome, displaying the scenery outside the Durandal to it's full majesty.

"It's so pretty!" MOMO gasped, and pranced inside.

"That's right," Jr. said, smiling at her enthusiasm. "You've probably never been inside a ballroom before, huh?"

"No," MOMO replied. "I've never even danced before."

"Well, I guess you could say this is the first time I've been to one of my own free will," Jr. laughed bitterly, remembering all of those parties he'd had to attend with political and economic figures alike, along with all of those girls he'd had to dance with for show. Dancing with MOMO however, didn't seem like such a bad idea.

They both scanned the area for familiar faces, and Jr. spotted the Godwin sisters discussing something with the band-leader. "Let's go greet Shelley," he suggested, and MOMO agreed. Before they got far however, another friend called out to them.

"Hey guys!" Shion said, and Jr. whipped around to find his friend dressed in a very small pink cocktail dress. "Aw, you've gotten so tall!" she swooned, and ran over to hug Jr. forcefully.

"Ah, Shion!" Jr. yelped as his friend embraced him suddenly, inciting a giggle out of MOMO.

"Your hair is longer too," Shion said in amazement, and rubbed his head.

"Hey, stop that, I actually combed today!"

Shion and MOMO burst into a fit of giggles together, which left Jr. entirely dumbfounded. "So do you like MOMO's new body?" Shion asked in a completely innocent tone. "I helped with the design, you know."

MOMO leaned over and whispered, "Couldn't you phrase that a little better?"

"Huh?" Shion blinked at her obliviously. "What do you mean?"

"Aha," Jr. laughed nervously, darting away from that subject, "I think she looks great, although it was a real shocker. You guys really pulled one over on me huh?"

Another male voice broke into their conversation. "Heeey, Little Master!"

Raising his head at the noise, Jr. looked past Shion to see Tony and Hammer standing not too far away. The two of them were dressed casually and looked very out of place amidst the ballroom's splendor, but this was still a large improvement from their usual mode of dress. They made their way through the crowd and towards the three, Tony rubbing Shion's side conveniently as he passed. Jr. scowled threateningly, but Shion accepted it as a total accident.

"Shion!" Tony exclaimed. "Lookin' good!"

"Thanks," Shion replied meekly. Tony's eyes then turned towards Jr. and the girl standing beside him.

"Whoa, Little Master! Who's the babe?"

"Ack!" Hammer cried out as he caught a glimpse of the girl, and began pointing at her wildly. "That's MOMO! Can't you tell!" "MOMO?" Tony repeated. "You're crazy." A moment later the realization struck him. "Crap, you're right," he exclaimed, and after deliberating the thought for a moment, he took her hand and flashed his best handsome smile. "MOMO, you're looking really good! I didn't know realians could grow."

"I had an upgrade," MOMO said, giggling and retracted her hand.

"Wow," Hammer stuttered, and stared very hard in awe.

"Pick your jaws up off the floor, you idiots!" Jr. barked, stepping between them and the girls. This caused MOMO and Shion to laugh even more. "And just what is so funny?" he asked them.

"Oh nothing, nothing!" Shion chuckled. Then, before the scene got any uglier, some commotion at the entrance caught their attention.

A set of raised voices at the entrance distracted their attention. "But!" a male voice whined, "I really am Little Master's friend!"

"A wimp like you?" the doorman replied. "Yeah right."

"Please let us in," pleaded a small female voice. "Pretty please?"

"Oh sure, the girl can go in!" the guard replied. "This is Master Gaignun's ship after all, pretty girls are always welcome!"

"Thank you!" Miyuki squealed, and left Allen standing there at the door.

"But!" he protested. "Hey, come on!"

The doorman held Allen firmly by his arm. "You're just gonna have to wait until the party starts, buddy!" Jr. shook his head in dismay as he left the girls and walked back to the doorman, passing Miyuki as she ran to meet MOMO and Shion.

Jr. tapped his boots on the stone floor impatiently, staring up at the doorman with his trademark grin. "Hey, let that poor guy in here," he commanded. "He's with me."

"Really?" the man was taken aback in utter surprise. "Well okay, if you say so, Little Master!"

Allen let out a tired sigh and finally sulked into the room. "Miyuki just left me hanging like that," he said to himself. "She's worse than the chief ever was!"

"Heh," Jr. laughed. "You never change, man." He turned to look back at the group, inspecting the young girl who had accompanied Allen. "Who's this girl you're with?" he asked. "Don't tell me a cute girl like that came all the way here with you."

"You remember Miyuki, right?" Allen said. "She was Shion's partner back during that whole incident."

"Oh yeeeah," Jr. said, remembering suddenly. "Looks different in a dress doesn't she?" he laughed, and gave Allen a hard smack on the back. "I'm impressed!"

"Its _not_ like that," Allen groaned. "She's a friend of Shion's and we work in the same department, so I extended the invitation. That's _all_."

"I should have known," Jr. sighed over-dramatically, and waved his arms in the air in defeat.

"Uhg," Allen groaned. "Oh man, I haven't seen you in forever and you're already giving me a hard time."

"I'm just playing," Jr. replied with a grin, and pulled Allen into a friendly handshake. "Besides, it's good to pick things up again where they left off when you haven't seen someone in a while, isn't it?"

"Not always," Allen replied. Jr. noticed as his eyes drifted over to Shion. He looked up at the taller man with a questioning glare.

"Oh come _on_," he said in disbelief. "You can not tell me that after four years, you're still pining after Shion, and that you haven't gotten anywhere!"

"Shh!" Allen hushed him. "It's not that. I know when to call it quits, you know. But I mean... well, what if it was MOMO?"

"What if it was _MOMO?_" Jr. stammered, unable to believe the comparison. Before he was able to sort out a comeback however, the two of them were overrun by a flock of little girl realians and were nearly toppled over.

"What the...?" Allen exclaimed, trying to keep his balance as the wave of girls bounced by.

"There goes the MOMO fan club," Jr. commented. "Now come on, it's time you had some fun for once."

"Right," Allen sighed, and followed Jr. over to where the others were standing. "Whatever..."

"MOMO!" each of the 100-series realians burst out at the same time. MOMO gently pulled away from Miyuki's hug and greeted her sisters. All of them smiled and giggled, encouraging MOMO to spin around and show them all sides of her new body. Shion and Miyuki clapped, cheering her on. Jr. watched this carefully and his interest did not go unnoticed by the males standing nearby.

He felt a firm nudge to the waist courtesy of Tony's elbow, pulling him out of a daze. "You're staring pretty hard there, Little Master," he teased.

"What the?" Jr. huffed. "I'm just happy that she got what she wanted, that's all"

"Yeah maybe," the young man snickered, "but you know, nobody'd accuse you of cradle robbing now!" He and Hammer began laughing hysterically. Allen hung his head and took a few steps back into what he felt was a safe distance.

"Lay off," Jr. sneered. "It isn't like that at all!"

"Oh," Tony continued, laying his arm on Jr's shoulder, though he could tell the red-head was about to explode. "Well if you don't like her that way, I don't guess you'd mind if I took a shot?" He rubbed his chin and stared at MOMO. "She's really cute now, after all. In a different way than before, I mean."

Hammer joined Allen several feet away, sensing impending doom. He could have sworn that Little Master's eyes flashed with unearthly light just then. "Tony, I oughta-" Jr. growled.

"Heh! You may be bigger, but still not big enough to take me on," Tony replied, jumping back and raising his fists playfully.

"I'm gonna-!"

"Eh-hem," a fake cough sounded from behind. Jr. felt a shadow fall over him as Tony and Hammer both snapped fearfully to attention. "You wouldn't be causing trouble before the party even starts, now would you? At least have the decency to move farther away from the door. You're blocking everyone's entrance."

Jr. turned and met with his brother's smirk, something he definitely didn't want to see at the moment. Gaignun stood confidently with one of the Godwin sisters on either side as always.

"Really little Master," Mary scolded. "You ought ta' know better!"

Jr. exhaled in one puff of breath, and looked away, pretending to be disinterested. "Yeah, whatever Mary," he said. "At least I'm not the one playing pranks. I'm guessing the 'surprise' was mostly your doing?"

"You'd be correct there, Little Master," Shelley replied.

"You didn't suspect a thing!" Mary laughed, and Jr. frowned. "Oh don't make that face, Little Master!" she said, poking him in the side with her index finger. "We only wanted to have a lil' fun!"

"Fine, alright," Jr. said, letting go of his frustrations. "Just as long as you're happy... I'm happy."

"Now that's more like you," Gaignun replied with a smile. "But what are you doing over here with these fools causing a display? Shion and MOMO came a long way to see you."

"Eh," Jr. groaned. "Well they're a little preoccupied with girl things right now." His glance drifted back over towards MOMO and the other ladies still making a fuss over her transformation.

"Oh look, there's Shion and her friends!" Mary exclaimed, and took Shelley's arm. "Let's go and say hi!"

Shelley gave Jr. a small but warm smile along with a gentle squeeze on the shoulder and followed her sister's lead, leaving the brothers to themselves. They watched the girls playing and laughing.

"You know," Jr. said. "I think you were right about one thing."

"Oh?" Gaignun answered sarcastically. "I was right about something? And you're admitting this? Do I need to get my ears checked?"

"Ah, can it," Jr. snapped back, but he was barely containing his laughter. "You were right because I think I just remembered what it is we're fighting for."

"To keep smiles on all of their happy faces," Gaignun summed up. "I'm sure you could put it in a more poetic light yourself, but that's the basic idea. Come on, let's not miss the party."

"Yeah, okay," Jr. agreed, and the two brothers went to rejoin the ladies. He took his place in the circle of friends just as the 100-series realians were asking if they could all get body transplants as well. "I dunno," he teased, and looked up at Gaignun, "Does our health plan cover that sort of thing?"

"It might just," Gaignun answered, and nodded.

"Vector would cover it anyway if you agreed," MOMO explained.

"I'm just messing with them," Jr. laughed.

"Because he's mean," Nana said, and stuck her tongue out.

"Well I want to look just like MOMO!" one realian said.

"Nah, I want to be taller!" said another.

"I want longer hair!"

"I would like a more muscular model!"

"Can I have bigger measurements?"

MOMO once again waved her hands to put a cease to the barrage of questions. "You can choose anything like that," she said. "We'll talk about it more in private later, okay?"

"Okay," they replied in unison, although some sounded excited and others disappointed.

At that point, MOMO detected a unique presence on her sensors. It was the special tag she'd given to Ziggy, after his body had been worked on. "Uncle Ziggy is here!" she announced to the girls, and they all ran off in the direction of Ziggy and Juli Mizrahi, who had just entered the ballroom.

"Wow, they really like him," Jr. chuckled. "Who'd have thought."

"They aren't really that innocent," MOMO said with a knowing smile. "Most of them just act that way to get attention. It's the only way that they can."

"You're right," Shion interjected, "Every time I speak to one of them on the bridge, it's like talking to any other adult."

"Maybe this whole transplant thing will help them all get a handle on who they really are," Jr. mused, with a hopeful tone. "I would really like to see that."

"We all would," Gaignun added.

As everyone continued to play and laugh, the band began their performance. They were a collection of skilled classical instrumentalists and synthesizer experts who were able to play just about anything from classical to poppy current trends. Their first song seemed to be a combination of both. It was a slow and sophisticated melody with an underlying layer of bouncing beats that begged the guests to move in coordination with the rhythm.

"Hey," Jr. said to his brother, "Why don't you dance with Shelley first? It's her night, you know."

"I'm sorry," Gaignun replied, "But I was just about to tell you that I need to extend our welcome to a few of the big name guests that we've attracted. I'll be busy for most of the party."

Jr.'s eyebrows furrowed as he shifted his weight. "Now wait just a minute here," he said. "None of those people are more important than Shelley right now."

The tall, dark-haired man's face lost all of the playful charm he had been displaying up until a moment ago as he avoided his brother's eyes and turned away. "Handle it for me, please," he asked, and then disappeared into the crowds forming all around them. The depth of regret in his tone made an impact on Jr. and he said nothing, though he had been just at the edge of starting an argument.

"So who wants to dance?" Shion chimed, raising her voice over the others.

MOMO hopped and raised her hand giddily. "Oh, me! I do!"

The entire 100-series brigade turned sharply, as if to prove that they were a collective entity, and glared at Jr. menacingly. Mary was doing the same thing. He scratched his head and laughed awkwardly under their stares. "Ah, well I think I should be the first to give our lady of the hour a dance!" he explained, smiled at Shelley, and took her hand. "Come on!"

Shelley looked up suddenly, her stone-like exterior chipping a bit in surprise. She hadn't exactly been paying attention as the others carried on. "Little Master, certainly you--"

"No excuses!" Jr. demanded, grinning like a madman. He began to pull her away from the group against her will. "I'm gonna get you to have fun no matter what!"

Mary and her troupe of meddling realians pouted and began to whine about Little Master's apparent obliviousness. With a calm laugh, MOMO waved her hand. "Settle down," she said.

"Heh, and he complained about me," Allen chuckled with a shrug.

"Oh, hey there, Allen!" Shion said, and smiled broadly. "I didn't see you come in!"

Allen felt his throat constrict in anxiety. Looking at her again was a lot harder than he thought it was going to be. "Oh uh... hi Shion," he struggled to say. "It's good seeing you again."

Shion nodded. "You know, I can probably count many times I've seen you without your uniform on with one hand," she laughed.

At this point Miyuki burst out laughing from somewhere nearby, having listened in on their conversation. "Without his-HAHA!" she snickered, and then was tapped gently by MOMO. "Oh, right!" she nodded, and the two girls left.

Allen grimaced, but as soon as his eyes fell on Shion's warm smile again, he was melting. He cleared his throat. "Um, Shion!" he said, though part of him was saying _no, no, no, don't do it!_ "Would you like to dance?"

Shion hesitated for a moment, considering something, and then smiled, although more awkwardly now. "Sure," she said. "We can have some privacy to talk about KOS-MOS for once that way."

"R-right," he agreed, though he wanted to hear about her, if she was happy. He wanted to know if she was finally content. "Let's go, then."

The dance floor became very popular as the music played on. Couples were pairing up casually, letting worries float to the back of their minds as they danced with their friends. A few of the 100-series realians had even gotten a few kindly coworkers to humor them with a dance in fun. Even Juli Mizrahi had somehow persuaded Ziggy to join her on the floor. Very few people seemed romantically charged and no one was trying to impress. No one except for Jr., who was doing his best to prompt a reaction out of his lavender-haired dance partner.

"Come on, Shelley, laugh!" he said, after spinning her around mercilessly. "Or I dunno, yell at me or something."

Shelley stopped, and smiled. She placed her hands on his shoulders and began to move slower, more faithfully to the beat that Jr. was ignoring. His face blushed beet red as the front of her body brushed against his. "I find this a bit more humorous," she teased in her icy tone.

"Aw, give me a break," he said, half grumbling and half laughing. "Mary's already torturing me double, it's like she's practicing to take up for your half of the job."

"_Why_ do you always smell like gun powder?" Shelley sighed, shaking her head in dismay. It was a scent that stirred up more memories than she cared to think about at the moment.

"Huh?" Jr. replied, and blinked. "You're acting _weird_. And you haven't even hit the booze yet."

Shelley just smiled, and enjoyed her last dance with Little Master. Meanwhile, Allen's experience was not so tender. He had one hand on Shion's shoulder, the other on her waist. Both of hers were resting on his arms, but she was hardly touching him at all.

"KOS-MOS wanted me to pass along her greetings and best wishes," Allen said, to start the conversation. He knew that would make Shion's eyes light up like a child's, and it did.

"Really?" she gasped.

He nodded. "She really has come a long way. It's pretty funny. We tell her that she's evolved to emulate human responses, and that isn't any different from having you own feelings, but she still insists that she's all logic straight to the bone. Er... or core, I guess."

"Yeah," Shion sighed contently. "That's just how she is. I think she will always be that way. So.. nothing's wrong?"

"Well, there's been this issue lately with some random activity that we can't pinpoint," he answered. "It's really been driving me nuts."

"Is it serious?" Shion asked.

"Oh, no!" he reassured her. "It's just boggling me, that's all. But that's pretty normal huh?"

Shion smiled again and her hold around Allen's arms became a bit more natural. "I knew I could depend on you," she said. "Everyone else is totally incompetent when it comes to KOS-MOS, but you know what you're doing. More importantly though, you actually care about her."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Thanks."

They continued to discuss the problems encountered in the KOS-MOS project, using terms and phrases that anyone else would interpret as pure gibberish. Even Miyuki would be lost in their technical conversation if she were present, though she had sense enough to keep her distance. Allen only wished that this had occurred four years ago, before he let Shion go.


	5. Listen

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 5: Listen_

Thanks to KOS-MOS's strict reminder, chaos was not late when he arrived at the hangar. However, by the time he entered the ballroom, the party had already started. Fifteen minutes after her warning was the point when _everyone_ was admitted to the ballroom, including the large number of Kukai Foundation residents and tourists. There were hundreds of people passing freely through the doors. chaos stood in line patiently as always before being allowed inside.

When entrance was granted, he found the ballroom to be very active, but large enough on the inside to accommodate the crowd perfectly. The warmth of everyone's good spirit was strong enough for him to feel physically. He smiled, suddenly very happy that this event had been planned.

He searched he floor for Allen, who's message from KOS-MOS he wanted to delivery first of all, but upon finding him dancing with Shion, he decided that he couldn't interfere with their good time. There was no sense in worrying either of them just yet, since no shuttles would be returning to Vector until the next evening, either way.

Putting that thought aside, he took a deep breath and told himself to stop worrying. Patience always paid off for him, and he had plenty of it. With that in mind, he looked for anyone else he knew. First he spotted MOMO easily due to her pink hair. It stood out like a light in the crowd. Something else set her apart, however. She was sitting at one of the concession tables all alone, downtrodden, in the center of everyone's energetic partying.

It didn't occur to him at first, probably because he was so used to witnessing changes in people over time, but MOMO had somehow grown older. It took a minute for the strangeness of that fact to sink in. "Good evening," he said to her, offering a calm smile.

MOMO looked up and her face lit with the usual exuberance. "chaos!" she gasped happily. "I was beginning to think that I wouldn't see you!"

chaos laughed softly. "Sorry," he said. "I got a little caught up. How have you been?"

"Well," MOMO grinned, she seemed very happy to have someone to talk to again. "As you can see, I've been undergoing some transitions."

"Yes, I was about to ask," chaos replied. "You look beautiful."

MOMO blushed and giggled at that, but then her eyes cast down. "I guess."

Noticing the lack of certain red-haired URTVs around, chaos shook his head. "Not the person you wanted to hear that from, huh?"

She looked back up at him, smiling. "Oh no, thank you very much!"

"So where is everyone?" he asked.

MOMO shrugged. "Well, everybody's dancing... except me."

"Do you want to dance then?" chaos asked her. He was getting the distinct feeling that she could use some company. "I'm not a great dancer but maybe it'll be fun."

MOMO hopped to her feet and laughed. "Sure!" she agreed.

They headed to the dance floor in high spirits. chaos revealed that he was, in fact, an incredibly _good_ dancer, despite his statement earlier. MOMO on the other hand was bad at it when she started, but it didn't take very long before stepping along with the song became an afterthought. Realians in general were quick to learn new skills, especially those that focused on timing and repetition.

"This is fun," MOMO giggled. "Thank you for showing me how to dance."

"No problem," he replied, and in the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Shelley, who like MOMO, was easy to spot. Look for a large area of purple, and in all likelihood, that was Shelley. Without alerting MOMO to their presence, he began to direct her towards them.

With renewed determination, Jr. pulled Shelley into a wild spin in an attempt to show out. Shelley wasn't too keen on that sudden idea, and plowed right into chaos and MOMO, having missed her step. That hadn't been chaos's idea completely, but it was close enougth.

"Hey! chaos!" Jr. started, as if chaos had caused the collision.

chaos just smiled and let go of MOMO. He calmly placed his arm around Shelley and pulled her away from Jr. "Cutting in," he said flatly. She was eager to cooperate, and left Jr. standing, mouth hanging open in protest.

"H-hey!" he sulked, as the two of them quickly danced away. "Well how do you like that?"

MOMO giggled softly behind him, prompting him to whip around to face her. She bounced coyly on her heels once before glancing at him expectantly. "Sorry," she said. "It's probably my fault."

"No, no way!" he reassured her. "Don't pay attention to any of those guys. I didn't think chaos would be in on this conspiracy, but they must have gotten to him too!"

"I think you're being a little paranoid," she answered with a smile.

As he watched her standing there waiting for him to ask her, he wondered why it was so hard to do just that. It was _MOMO_ he was talking to after all, and he spited the fact that his hands were itching in her presence the way they used to when he was a little boy confronted by the first girl he had ever met.

"Come on!" he said, forcing cheer into his voice, and grabbed her hands. "We'll show them, won't we?"

MOMO answered with a pretty smile in delight. His hands were warm, and she detected a slight rise in his body temperature. "Sure," she said, "but this is only my second dance, so don't be surprised if I'm no good."

"I'll show you all the moves," he laughed to himself as he pulled her into his arms. One hand rest on her hip, and the other held her hand. Unfortunately for him, by the time all of this was decided, a slower song had begun to play, a lush but melancholy sort of melody.

She slipped into his embrace farther than he intended, resting her arm around his neck. Discomfort began to set in again as they swayed back and forth, bodies remaining as close as possible without touching. He felt part of him yearning to pull her closer to him, while his conscious mind was trying to figure out where that was coming from, and raising all sorts of alarms.

"I really missed you all of this time," MOMO said in such a soft tone that it was nearly a whisper. Her eyes cast down at the ground bashfully.

"I did too," he replied. He was not going to lie to her. "I miss being able to just have fun at any point without worrying about anything. You are my best friend, MOMO. When you are gone, it feels like part of my family is missing."

"Yeah," she agreed, though not whole-heartedly. He felt her slip away from him just barely. This was met with relief, but also a sense of regret. She looked up and smiled brightly, as if she could read him and wanted to convince him that she was completely content. "I guess you can't just run out and play at any time now," she teased.

"Nope," he laughed awkwardly. "They expect me to act like an adult now that I'm starting to look like one."

"Hey, I've got an idea," MOMO continued. "Why don't we all... all of us, go to the beach tomorrow like we used to?"

"That's a great idea!" Jr. replied, and at that point the song ended.

MOMO stopped in place and gestured towards one of the tables piled up with food. Shion and Allen were there, chaos and Shelley as well. "Looks like everyone is meeting up again," she said.

"Right," he nodded, and they made for that spot. Soon their entire group was reassembled. chaos greeted Shion and Allen as Ziggy and Juli Mizrahi reappeared. Mary and a handful of the 100-series realians popped in and out as well. "So how about we all hit the beach tomorrow?" Jr. suggested loud enough so that everyone could hear. "It's not until tomorrow evening that the next transport shuttles depart, right? We could have lunch and hang out!"

"That sounds like fun!" Shion agreed. "Good thinking."

"It was MOMO's idea," he replied.

"Well I'm in," Allen said.

"Me too, me too!" Miyuki piped up. "I've never been to the Kukai Foundation's beach before!"

"I'm afraid that I'll be busy," Shelley added in a cool tone. "But Mary, you should go and take a few of the girls with you. They could use the exercise." A mixed reaction of joy and objection shot through the 100-series realians present. Though eager to spend time with MOMO, they were all ingrained with a work ethic that was hard to get around.

"Aw, well if you say so," Mary sighed. She had a better idea of why Shelley refused to attend, but this wasn't the place to start prodding her.

"How about you, old man?" Jr. chuckled, and shot a glance up at Ziggy and Doctor Mizrahi. "The two of you coming?"

"Unfortunately I have to spend tomorrow working out of my hotel room just to cover for the day I took off to attend tonight," Juli sighed.

"Ah, you work to hard," he said, "and how about you?"

"The beach isn't exactly what I call an enjoyable atmosphere," Ziggy replied. "Though I don't look it, don't forget that I'm still a cyborg."

"You make it really _hard_ to forget," Jr. grumbled. "What, are cyborgs not allowed to lighten up?"

Ziggy shrugged. "Well no, they usually aren't." MOMO and Shion began their laughing together again, and his time Doctor Mizrahi added in her own version of what might have once been a giggle many years ago.

"I'll come along," chaos answered, deciding that it would be the best chance for him to speak to Allen and Shion about his encounters with KOS-MOS.

"Well, all right then!" Jr. exclaimed, sealing the deal. "Meet at the beach tomorrow at noon okay?"

Everyone in agreement gave their responses, and the group continued to enjoy the rest of the party. They began to dig into the high-quality food laid out by the caterers and to drink to their heart's content from the open bar.

Shelley watched as Jr. made MOMO try all of the foods including the less appetizing ones, some of which caused her to nearly spit food out on the floor, knowing that he wouldn't eat them himself. MOMO had no problem with the fish eggs, but the snails, mollusks, and octopi were not to her liking. Shelley also noticed that after a few drinks, Shion and Allen had another dance. Obviously Gaignun hadn't taken the bait, but she wasn't surprised. As her thoughts drifted to him, she noticed that he had disappeared. Everyone was having a wonderful time at the party, except for the host.

(2)

"Shion, Shion! Wake up!" Miyuki's voice babbled from Shion's connection gear just after she rolled over in bed and turned it on.

"What is it, Miyuki?" Shion grumbled, rubbing her head and going for a hangover cure. It was just a slight lingering ache, more likely a result of the food she had eaten in combination than the alcohol itself.

"Only four hours to pick up bathing suits!" Miyuki chimed. "And if we don't go soon we'll miss morning sales!"

"Oh right," Shion yawned as she sat up. "Shopping. I promised, didn't I?"

"It's been so long since we've been shopping!" Miyuki said excitedly as Shion began to dress. She handed the connection gear over to MOMO, who she was sharing the room with during her stay. "Oh, hi MOMO!"

MOMO was already bright and cheery. "Hey Miyuki, why don't you come over before we leave?"

"Oh, I don't want to be near the chief when she's just gotten up!" she laughed. "I'll just meet you there!" Shion grumbled something in reply, taking the gear back after she'd changed her shirt. Miyuki spotted the gem hanging around her friend's neck. "Shion, you shouldn't sleep with jewelry on, you could choke!"

"I highly doubt it Miyuki, just let me get ready, okay?" She sounded very annoyed.

"Oh geeze, okay! Grumpy..."

(3)

With all of the tourists in town thanks to last night's events, the Kukai Foundation was hopping with visitors. Shion, MOMO, and Miyuki walked around the shopping district in their casual clothes, ready to combat hordes of shoppers on their quest to acquire new bathing suits.

"Ah, I was just shopping yesterday too," MOMO sighed. "Should have just picked one up when I was with Mary and Shelley."

Shion laughed, "I don't think you want those two picking out your swimsuit, do you?"

"Maybe not," MOMO agreed, laughing as well.

"Ooh! Here!" Miyuki exclaimed, and pranced away to press her hands against a shop window. Inside the display were mannequins fitted with outrageous swim suits. One of them shimmered in different colors and lights, another came with a set of matching butterfly accessories similar to the environmental bugs complete with AI.

"How gaudy," Shion frowned at the swimsuits. "They've got some better ones inside though, come on."

"Oh you're no fun!" Miyuki pouted. "I want to try on the butterfly one!"

MOMO and Shion entered, followed by Miyuki, and the three of them began to browse the store. It was a swim shop, one of several that had opened since the Kukais went public with their artificial beach invention. There were bathing suits of all varieties, sun glasses, beach clothing, sandals, umbrellas and surf boards among other things.

"Here's one that's just great for you!" Shion giggled, and held up a pink bikini in front of MOMO.

"Don't you think it's a little small?" MOMO replied meekly.

"I dunno, what's your size?"

"No, I mean I'd rather have a one-piece," she whimpered, shaking her head bashfully. Then she felt Miyuki's hands clap onto her shoulders and shake her playfully from behind.

"Come on, live a little!" Miyuki insisted. "You won't feel embarrassed, we'll both wear bikini's too!"

"Well alright," MOMO agreed with a smile. "It might be fun!"

(4)

"Those girls are late," Jr. said, rubbing his bare foot into the sand at his feet. He and Chaos sat at a white table underneath a large red umbrella marked with the Durandal's insignia, boredly awaiting their friends' arrival. They both wore beach shorts and T-shirts. Hidden in the jumble of leafy shapes on Jr.'s Hawaiian floral print were patterns of guns and bullets.

Though the surroundings were artificial for the most part, they felt, smelled, and sounded just as real as they looked. The ocean and the deep blue sky seemed to stretch on into the distance, though a few miles out, one of the Kukai Foundation's large solar panels shot up past the white fluffy clouds and into starry space, serving as a reminder that the horizon was only an illusion.

They had a private section of the beach to themselves. It was the original beach used as a test a few years ago for the product. The shoreline had been greatly expanded and public beaches could be seen bustling with activity in the distance. A short pier separated private from public, and a large hotel had been constructed on the other side of it to take advantage of this new novelty.

"It's only five after," chaos said softly, trying to hide a small smile. His friend was being even more impatient than usual. "Who else are we expecting besides the girls?"

"Allen's coming along, and I told Mary to bring our boat," Jr. replied.

Chaos noted that and then changed the subject. "You'll see Shelley off this afternoon, won't you? Along with the others."

Jr. leaned back and reclined with his hands behind his head. "Yeah... not that I want to."

"She's got her reasons," he said sympathetically.

"Yeah, I know," Jr. replied. "I just wish I knew what those reasons _are_."

"Who knows?" Chaos replied nonchalantly, although he understood more than he let on.

"Damn," Jr. swore under his breath, and leaned back in his chair. He kicked his feet up onto the table along with sand that was stuck to them. Chaos made a mental note to change tables before eating, but was too passive to comment as his friend continued. "I didn't want her to leave... but Gaignun kept telling me its better for her this way. I don't know how."

"Sometimes people just need to change their lives, you of all people should know that."

Jr. grunted something uninterpretable and sunk limply into his chair.

"Hey guys," Allen called, making his way to the shore from the gate. Jr. leaned his head over the back of the chair to watch him approach upside down, and gave a short wave.

"Where's your lost cause?" He asked, sarcastically. This confused Allen, and he looked to Chaos for an explanation.

"I think he means Shion," chaos said in reply.

The tall, lanky man rubbed his auburn hair awkwardly. "Oh... you're picking on me," he said with a bitter laugh. "Miyuki said something about the girls all going shopping before they came over here, so I guess that's what's keeping them."

"Okay," Jr. said, and then his expression turned to a teasing smile. "By the way, I'm glad you didn't decide to wear stripes this time."

Again, Allen was puzzled. "What do you mean... oh wait, you mean that suit I used to have?"

"Yeah," Jr. laughed. "That thing was hilarious! No wonder you don't get any girls."

Allen laughed to himself, wondering if Jr. would even believe him if he said he had plenty of admirers these days, that he just wasn't interested in any of them. "You sure do look into the past a lot," he said, taking a seat at the table.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Chaos's placid composure cracked into a small smile. "He's right. Allen hasn't seen Shion any more than you have since that time, and... I certainly don't recall what we all wore the last time we were on this beach."

"What?" Jr. raised his hands in defense, laughing. He seemed to miss the point entirely. "Am I the only one with a good memory? I know Allen wore that goofy striped thing... and MOMO wore a pink one."

"Well of _course_ you remember what MOMO was wearing," Allen noted in an exaggerated tone. Jr. kicked his legs back down to the ground in a huff and tried very hard to formulate a retort, but before he could, they heard the sound of female voices and giggles. The girls were entering the gate.

Chaos stood and greeted them first as they made their way across the sand. "Welcome," he said.

MOMO skipped ahead of the other two, and all three were wearing their bikinis and sandals. "Are we late?" MOMO asked him apologetically. "We had to go put our stuff away and change."

"Not at all," Chaos replied. "Although Jr. was beginning to worry..."

Jr. sneered as he got out of his chair and shoved chaos playfully. MOMO smiled up a him and he nearly froze in place. He thought he'd gotten over her changes last night, but seeing a lot more of her body all at once was daunting. The rose-pink swimsuit she wore hugged her curves tightly. Under the bright artificial sun, the color of her skin, equally artificial, was brilliant. "So what did you guys buy?" he asked, removing his eyes by force. "Anything fun?"

"No," she replied in her small, sweet voice, "just clothes."

"Heh, no fun things huh? Well, are you hungry?"

"Uh-huh!" MOMO giggled.

"I'm famished," Shion added. "We haven't eaten since breakfast."

"You ate breakfast?" Miyuki squealed. "I didn't eat anything!"

He flipped the gadget open and spoke into it. "Mary? You there? Yeah- we're ready." He turned his head to the water, staring down the eastern side of the shore. The others followed his line of vision curiously.

After a moment of anticipation, a large white speed boat branded with the red mark of the Durandal skimmed into view, leaving a tall set of waves in its wake, much to the annoyance of the swimmers on the public beach. It came to a steady stop before them with impressive agility for something if its size, and then turned to pull up to the tiny pier.

"That's your 'little boat' huh?" Shion asked, with sarcasm. "I should have known."

"Wow, it's really big!" MOMO exclaimed.

Miyuki mimicked her friend's girlish enthusiasm "A real yacht, wow!"

Jr. stood beaming triumphantly, with his hands on his hips, soaking up their attention. "Yup, it is pretty impressive isn't it?" he smirked.

"You've hardly got a few square miles of ocean and you've got a yacht that big?" Allen groaned. "What a show off."

"It is a bit overcompensating if you ask me," Chaos added, quietly.

"Heh!" Jr. ignored the two males and started making his way to the pier, beckoning to the others to follow. "Come on! We've got lunch ready for us!"

On board the white ship, Mary and one of MOMO's realian sisters (Nana, to be specific) were setting the last places on a large round table lined with food. This time, the meal was more down to earth, with turkey, potatoes, rice, and bread, among other things. MOMO was pleased to see that there was an absence of tentacled seafood. The rich and heavy smell drifted their way, combined with the fresh ocean air.

"Welcome aboard," Mary said, happily. "Y'all take a seat, lunch is almost ready!"

The deck was wide and left plenty of room for observing the view. From the rail, they could see the entire cityscape of the foundation sparkling in the light of the reflective panels that stretched like the petals of a flower into the sky. The Durandal's long nose jutting into the sky gleamed bright crimson red.

"Wow," Shion said. "You have a great view from here."

"We'll set it on a course around the entire foundation while we eat. Can you do that, Mary?"

"Of course, Little Master!" she chimed. "I'll go set the auto-nav right now, and join y'all in just a sec."

They pulled up chairs and sat down around the table as two more of the 100-series realians appeared, setting the last things in place. Ume, Kaede, and Nana eagerly sat around MOMO. Then Miyuki and Shion were seated. Miyuki gave a wave to Jr. to sit one seat down from there to give Allen a chance and he signaled back gladly with a thumbs up, resulting in what looked like some kind of baseball play going on over Shion's head. Allen groaned, but Shion was oblivious to the entire thing, as usual. chaos sat too, leaving a spot for Mary.

"Alright, dig in!" Jr. announced, and they all began reaching for plates and pass them around the table.

"What's your names?" Shion said sweetly to the 100-series realians as they passed the dishes about, fascinated to see that they were each wearing swimsuits in their choice of color.

"I'm Ume," the one wearing red replied, in a mature tone.

"I'm Kaede!" another replied, this one wore blue and her accent seemed a bit similar to Mary's.

"Nana," the third replied. She was in pink, and seemed to be the youngest somehow, although they were all certainly the same age. "Thank you for asking."

"Well of course," Shion replied. "Just because you're a realian doesn't mean you shouldn't have your own name."

"There's also Riko, Ren, Ayane, Hanako, and a few others on the foundation who I'm not too familiar with," Jr. replied.

Mary returned, and took the seat reserved for her next to Chaos. "What'd I miss?" she asked, rubbing her hands together eagerly. Then she realized that everyone else had already served themselves. "Aw that's no fair! Y'all got first dibs huh?"

"There's plenty left," Jr. assured her, though his words were muffled as he munched on a leg of turkey. "Don't get all bent out of shape."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Little Master!" she scolded in return.

He replied by bending his fork back and flinging a pea with it in her direction. "Darn, missed!" he said, snapping his fingers with a cocky grin as it whizzed past her head. In reality, he hadn't meant to hit her at all, and his aim was perfectly accurate.

"Why you-!" Mary snapped. "You're never too big for a spanking!" She picked up a roll and threw it straight at his face, obviously _not_ intending to miss. He was shocked by this reaction, but was saved as suddenly Chaos shot his hand out and caught the projectile bread in mid air, much to everyone's surprise. Mary blinked as the silver-haired young man calmly took a bite, and said nothing about it.

"Boy, I wish Shelley or Gaignun was around," Shion sighed tiredly as the playful bickering on the other side of the table resumed.

"You're right," MOMO agreed, smiling. "Shelley always keeps those two from causing a big mess."

After the meal was finished, Mary and the 100-series realians took to the task of clearing the table, refusing to let MOMO help despite her offer, claiming that this was her vacation. Shion and Miyuki found good places to tan on the deck while getting a good look at the view as the ship circled the city.

At the bow, MOMO leaned over the railing, watching as the tip of the ship cut through the water, tearing two white streams into the pseudo-ocean's surface. She rocked back and forth, wondering what she should do right now, whether or not she should really make the suggestion that she wanted to.

Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw Jr. pestering Shion and Miyuki. Apparently sun-bathing wasn't his idea of a party. A warm sensation grew in her chest as she watched him, smirking confidently, refusing to give up. She smiled sympathetically as finally Shion tripped him by sticking her leg out and he fell backwards, rear end planting on the deck. Everyone laughed, even chaos.

Having given up on Shion, Jr. looked around and caught MOMO staring in his direction. "Hey, MOMO!" he shouted as he got up and raced over to her. "What are you doing over here?"

MOMO took a deep breath to clear her head. "I'm just thinking," she replied, and then looked up at him and smiled. "Dancing was fun wasn't it?

"Yeah," he agreed. "I never enjoyed it before, but last night was really fun. We have to do that again sometime." He sighed and his expression turned somber. "I doubt there will be another chance anytime soon, though."

MOMO giggled. "How about now?"

His eyes widened. "Huh?" he said, and the way she smiled at him made him feel weak somehow. He remembered feeling this way before, but never so intensely.

"Let's dance now!" she laughed as she took his arms and then began to hum one of the songs she heard last night. It was one of the happy, bouncy tunes that had a rhythm in its melody.

Jr.'s head spun all around to see if anyone was watching this and his face flushed bright red. "Um okay," he said. "I feel kind of silly..."

MOMO giggled and pulled him back and forth. "Don't you want to have fun?"

He swallowed whatever was holding him back and let her attitude infect him. "Well, yeah!" he agreed, and then got a devlish grin on his face. "Hey, I got an idea."

With that, he began hum along with her (though his version was not quite as pleasing to the ears) picking up the tempo several beats. He spun her around and pulled her back and forth until she nearly fell over, and then while pulling her along, he began to skip down the deck.

"Dah duh daaah!" Jr. sang loudly as he held his and MOMO's hands out in front of them and ran down the deck in a full gallop, straight through Shion and the others. MOMO was laughing so hard that she could hardly breathe.

"What _are_ those two doing?" Shion sighed as they rode out of sight.

Allen shook his head. "I have no clue."

They hit the opposite side of the ship and fell apart in laughter. "That was great!" Jr. struggled to say, catching his breath. Once he had recovered and wiped his eyes, he looked over at MOMO. She was gazing at him, and had such a look of adoration in her eyes, his heart nearly stopped.

"I had something I wanted to talk to you about," she said, her voice was no longer playful.

Jr. cleared his throat. "Oh?"

Before she continued, MOMO let him escape from her glance and cast her eyes over the ocean, watching the trail that tailed from the back of the boat as they sailed along. "Many of my sisters would like to try the same program that I went through," she said. "And Vector could use more test subjects, not that any of them would be in danger."

"Doesn't Vector have plenty of 100-series realians on hand?" Jr. asked.

"Yes," she explained, "but very few if any of them are as developed as those girls. They were some of the first to be dispatched, and your personal care for them has allowed them to evolve much faster than the average realian."

"I see," he acknowledged, "yeah, I can definitely say that those girls are special."

"So," MOMO continued, "I was thinking... maybe, since Vector is so closely tied to the Kukai Foundation anyway, they might install a branch of third division here. Maybe even on the Durandal itself. That way, the girls could all undergo therapy and I could monitor them."

Jr. thought about that a moment before replying. "Might work," he said. "But I could just as easily give them enough time off..."

"But this way, none of them would have to leave and," her face then began to express some deep worry, "and I could stay here..."

Jr. watched her as she clutched her hands, afraid that he would say no. "You want to live on the Kukai Foundation?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, her voice was very low. "I guess I should have said that to start with, but I was afraid of what you would say."

He frowned in concern and placed his hand softly on her shoulder. "I don't know if that's such a good idea," he said. "You should really try different things, meet people, have a life... I'm not able to do that in my position."

MOMO shook her head, letting his hand fall away form her. "I don't need to do that," she said firmly. She raised her chin and their eyes met again. This time instead of admiration, only pure conviction was there. "I know what I want, and that's to be with you. You knew that already, didn't you? And that is why you think its a bad idea..."

Jr. swallowed hard. The moment had quickly collapsed from such an incredibly good feeling to the pit in his stomach that he was feeling now. For a soundless length of time they watched the white froth pour out from the edges of the boat as it pulled them on their course.

"I'm sorry," MOMO apologized. "Shouldn't have said that last part..."

"No, you're just saying how you feel," Jr. reassured her, and himself in the process. "If that is really what will make you happy," he said slowly, as if reciting a vow, "I will do whatever I can to make it happen."

MOMO cupped her hands over her chest and smiled. "Maybe I can pull some of the weight where Shelley is needed," she suggested. "Mary and me could be a team to support you like she and Shelley have been."

Jr. rubbed her shoulder again and made himself smile, though the thought of that ripped his heart inside. That is what he wanted all along more than anything, but allowing MOMO to force herself into that role in order to please him was something he could not do, unless it was honestly her wish as well. "Just think about it for a while, okay?"

MOMO nodded. "Thank you."

They continued to watch the water silently.


	6. Let Go

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 6: Let Go_

(1)

The day was melting away like something cool and refreshing left in the sun. Though it was relaxing to simply recline and soak up the warmth, Shion decided that tanning was boring after all. "I thought this was supposed to get my mind off of things" she grumbled, "but all I can think about is how everybody must be missing me at work. You know, there was a 100-series sent to our department with some really deep-rooted emotional problems. I hope that she's alright."

"You worry too much," Miyuki said, fanning herself. "Ah, I could take a nap right here."

"Hey chaos," Allen voiced up. "Wasn't there something you wanted to tell me last night?"

Their youthful and yet wise friend raised his head, having been absent from their conversation so far. "Yes," he replied. "It's about KOS-MOS... I suppose it's alright to include Miyuki."

"She might have a big mouth," Shion explained, "but you can trust her for sure."

"Hey, I won't tell!" Miyuki spouted.

"KOS-MOS?" Allen hurried on, paying no attention to Miyuki. "What's wrong?"

"It's a strange thing that has been happening," chaos started, vague as ever. "Lately, I have been dreaming. In these dreams, KOS-MOS is there. I know that it is not just a dream. Has she mentioned this to you?"

"She told me that something had happened, but she kept it from me," Allen explained. "It was extremely strange for her. What do you mean by that? Seeing her in a dream...?"

"I'm not sure myself," chaos replied. "I can only guess that I somehow found myself in her encephalon field despite the fact that I never initiated a dive. I am able to leave at any time, but I have no control over when I appear there. She says that she is unable to control any aspect of it, whether she leaves or stays."

Shion's eyes glimmered in peaked interest. "What sort of place is it?" she asked.

"A flower field," chaos replied solemnly. "A place where both KOS-MOS and I appear to be human."

Shion and Allen fell silent, while Miyuki got the feeling that she shouldn't speak up, though she was lost. They had never been too clear on just what chaos really was exactly, but given how very few of them were normal, none of them had ever raised the subject. chaos was chaos, and even pessimistic Allen accepted that and trusted him regardless.

"She told me to deliver a message to you," chaos continued. "She said that she is having some memory issues, and would like you to check this out as soon as possible. I'm afraid that another group at Vector may be accessing her memory for some unknown purpose."

"T-that's impossible!" Allen sputtered. "KOS-MOS's encryption class is triple-A, as we all know good and well from that crazy encephalon stunt."

"Yes, but," Shion said as she began to think aloud, "Vector created it, so Vector might be able to break into it."

Allen calmed down. Shock gave way to worry, and be began to scratch his head, glancing around at nothing while thinking as hard as he could. "We've got to go back then," he said. "I gotta get back to KOS-MOS on the double!"

"There's no shuttle that leaves for the dammerung until this evening," Shion said. "Just calm down..."

Allen took a deep breath and slapped his hands down on his legs to keep them still. "Right, I'll just call Togashi and get him to run the tests for me until I get back," he said, though the person he was trying to convince the most was himself. "They'll do fine without me for a day... right?"

"Sure!" Miyuki nodded up and down energetically in an attempt to console her friend. "I mean, even if she did go out of control of something, I'm sure nobody would get killed or anything!"

Allen hid his face behind his hand and groaned. "Gee, thanks Miyuki... that makes me feel so much better..."

"She told me that the situation wasn't an immediate problem," chaos continued. "I am just concerned, that's all. And another thing that puzzles me now is, why hasn't she told you about meeting me herself? Could it be that she's unable to remember when she wakes up?"

"Oh!" Allen shouted, and darted straight up in his chair. "That must be what it was!"

Shion leaned over and grimaced quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"KOS-MOS said that she remembered something, but she wouldn't tell me what it was," Allen explained quickly, nearly jumbling the words. "It was so odd because she wouldn't tell me, but she wouldn't give me a reason either."

chaos considered that. "I wonder why she wouldn't tell you," he said. "Do you think something might be wrong with her?"

Shion watched the two of them mulling over the problem and trying to figure it out. She wasn't so confused, a warm smile spread across her face. "Maybe she didn't want to be fixed?" she suggested. Allen and chaos, even Miyuki looked up with blank expressions. She laughed softly before explaining. "KOS-MOS may like having chaos to talk to in that secret encephalon area," she said. "I'm sure she would deny it, but maybe part of her didn't want you to find the problem and correct it."

"You and me are both talking about the same KOS-MOS right?" Allen blinked. "KOS-MOS... enjoying somebody's company?"

"Well I don't see why not!" Shion answered firmly. "She probably doesn't even realize it herself."

"I think that's a good idea," chaos added softly.

Allen sighed. "Maybe you're right then."

Shion laid back again, confident that everything was fine. "It could be that she's beginning to feel things and make decisions, but she interprets it as a flaw. So she's trying to get you to fix her, but there isn't anything actually wrong."

"I hope that's what it is," Allen said.

chaos nodded in agreement. "I do too." But he was almost sure that KOS-MOS's evolution was not to blame here.

(2)

"How was your day at the beach, Little Master?" Shelley asked, as she and Jr. rode the tram to the docking back. He was in his regular clothing again, and had been zoned out. He snapped to attention at the sound of her voice and stared at her absently, having missed the entire sentence. "I asked about your beach trip," she clarified for him.

"Oh," Jr. answered, and absently kicked a bottle someone had left behind across the train car as he thought about it. It missed the trash disposal by a large margin and he huffed at his bad aim. "Well it was alright I guess."

"Just all right?" Shelley prodded delicately. "Has something happened?"

Jr. crossed his arms, hiding his hands in the sleeves, as the train system came to a stop and the doors opened up. There was no point in trying to guard anything from Shelley. As they stepped off of he tram, he looked around to make sure that Mary and Gaignun hadn't already arrived. He wouldn't want them to be privy to this conversation. "It's MOMO," he said. "I think I may have hurt her feelings."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Shelley responded honestly, trying not to smile. Little Master was a sweet boy, she thought, but not the most sensitive.

He sighed. "If you know I'm going to say something stupid, feel free to tell me _before_ I do it for once."

"But then you wouldn't learn anything," she teased. Then, her tone became serious again. "I'm very sorry. What did you tell her?"

"I told her that it probably wouldn't be a great idea if she lived here," he explained slowly, looking down over his folded arms at the floor of the docking bay, shame written into his expression.

Shelley nodded slowly, "I thought that you would be pleased by that suggestion. I suppose that MOMO thought so as well."

"No," he shook his head. "She anticipated what I would say. But she asked anyway, and when I said goodbye to her, it felt sort of strange. I should talk to her, but I don't know what to say."

Shelley watched as he pulled one of his hands out of his jacket and began to bite on the nail of his thumb, thinking. She smiled at the habit of his. "Little Master," she began, "Might I ask why it is you don't attempt to pursue a relationship with MOMO?"

Jr. realized what he was doing with his hand and stopped. "I don't think that's really important, Shelley."

"You've been waiting for her for a long time," Shelley continued softly. "Even before you met, you were waiting for the chance to know her."

"I only knew her as Sakura's sister then," Jr. scoffed at that suggestion. "So that's totally beside the point."

"I don't know," Shelly mused. "It seems like you were waiting for someone. But regardless of that, she is here now. The two of you have both transcended these problems. I would like to see you happy."

Jr. loosened his arms and shifted his weight to rest with one hand on his hip, casting his eyes down at the floor with an awkward grin on his face. "You really want to know huh?" he said with a bitter chuckle. "Well alright. It's because I love her."

Shelley shouldn't have been surprised by such a blunt response, but she was this time. "What?"

"I love her, you know," he grumbled. "I'd die if I lost her. Don't you understand? That's why I would never change what we already have. I'd rather have her by my side as a companion forever than lose her after a year because of some stupid relationship not working out." Met with Shelley's vacant expression, he sighed in frustration. "It'd be like asking you or Mary out, okay? I imagine that! If it didn't work and I could never look at you the same way... what would I do with myself?" He shook his head as if it took some effort to agree with his own words. "No, I'm not going to risk that just so that I could call her my girlfriend instead of my friend." Then he scratched his head and looked up at her apologetically. "Sorry. I'm just a big coward, if I can't own up to things like that."

Shelley smiled and took a deep breath. "How would you feel," she mused, for the sake of argument, "if MOMO decided to see someone else?"

"I dunno," he groaned. "Relieved, maybe? Jealous... but ultimately, happy for her. On one hand, I'm content having her as a friend and I know that she wants more than that, so I'd be happy if she met someone else. On the other hand, if she did, then she wouldn't be the same to me, wouldn't be able to stay with me..."

"You may find that things must change," Shelley told him. "That they will change."

With a heavy frown, Jr. stored that advice in his long-term memory. Before he answered further however, a cheery voice piped up and interrupted them. "Bon Voyage!" Mary cheered, horribly butchering the phrase with her accent.

Gaignun walked up slowly after Mary. "Where's MOMO?" he asked Jr. "She'll be staying until next week at least, but I thought she would be with you."

"I dunno," he replied. "She's coming to see Shion and the others off though."

As if cued, the shuttle arrived again and its passengers disembarked. Among them were Shion, Allen, Miyuki, and MOMO. "I've enjoyed having all of you as guests," Gaignun said to them as they gathered around. "Please come back and visit us any time."

"Any time we can get off work, maybe," Shion laughed. Then she turned to MOMO and began to speak more quietly. "Let me know when you get everything figured out," she said. "If it doesn't work, you can always come to my place."

"I'll be fine," MOMO reassured her, wishing she hadn't brought it up in front of Jr. He pretended he hadn't heard it for everyone's sake.

Allen took a long glance at the shuttle they were about to board. "Wow," he said. "This one's lot nicer than the trip here."

"I took the liberty of arranging a more comfortable craft for you," Gaignun explained. "Since you are all going to the same place, it is no trouble at all."

"Oh, thank you Master Gaignun!" Miyuki chimed, hoping that was actually what she was supposed to call him. She beamed a huge grin at the tall and very attractive man before Shion noticed, and gave her a shove.

"I think it's time for us to go," Shion proclaimed. She reached out to give Jr. a hug. "We'll have to get together again soon," she said, and rubbed his back a bit before letting him go. "You'll be as tall as Gaignun I bet."

"Maybe so," Jr. replied. He smiled back, and then gave Allen a firm slap on the arm. "You get a girl, you hear me?" he antagonized him.

"Oh, I'll try," Allen responded, hardly putting any effort into the sentence itself much less what he was saying.

"Nice getting to know you better, Miyuki," Jr. went on, and shook the girl's hand.

After everyone had taken care of their goodbyes, the Vector staff piled into the shuttle and the door closed. They waved through the windows as it lifted off, leaving the rest to prepare for Shelley's exit.

Jr. embraced her and squeezed tightly, then released her, smiling broadly. "Thanks for everything," he said.

Shelley smiled at how he was able to sum up over fifteen years of service in that simple phrase without making it seem any less meaningful. "You'll have to come visit once I've finished moving in," she answered.

Mary was the next to give her sister a huge hug. "Don't worry, I'll whip Lil' Master in to shape _double_ from now on!"

"It was nice seeing you again," MOMO said, shaking Shelley's hand. "I hope that we'll get to see each other more the next time!"

"Of course," Shelley replied. Then MOMO stepped back, along with mary and Jr., leaving only Gaignun left to say goodbye. She raised her head and their eyes met, but neither reached out. For the first time, Shelley thought that perhaps Gaignun couldn't think of anything appropriate to say.

_Say something, idiot!_ Jr. chided his younger brother telepathically.

Gaignun didn't reply to Jr., but the pestering did prompt him to speak. "Let us know if you need anything at all," he said, which nearly caused Jr. to slap himself in the face.

"Thank you," Shelley replied with a small, icy smile, and turned to the transport. Mary and Jr. watched in disbelief as Gaignun allowed her to leave without so much as a pat on the shoulder.

Shelley stepped into the craft and let the door close over her. She watched through the window and smiled with a wave to Jr. and Mary. "Be good now," she said, though they were unable to hear her.

The ship lifted off, carrying Shelley away from her home, the only one she had ever known. Inside the craft it was still and quiet, lonely. She watched over the next few moments as the Kukai Foundation faded out of sight.

MOMO looked to Jr. and found him distraught. "You miss her already, don't you?"

"That's not it," Jr. replied. "Ah... never mind. I'm okay."

MOMO frowned at that, then decided to change the subject. "Well... I did make up my mind."

"You did?" Jr. asked apprehensively.

"Yup!" Mary interjected, not sensing the tension at all. "I've been lookin' for a command technician who can work the Durandal as well as Shelley, and I just can't find one! But MOMO here, being an advanced 100-series realian and all, is just perfect for the job!"

"To do Shelley's job?" Jr. asked, amazed by that. "And to work on the 100-series project on the side?"

MOMO nodded. "Could I please? I won't be a burden to anyone, I promise."

"I'd never think that you were a burden," Jr. sighed. "That's not what I meant earlier." Mary and Gaignun both looked at each other and then back at MOMO and Jr. wondering what had happened between them. "If you're decided then I'm all for it."

"Okay then," MOMO agreed.

Mary grinned. "Come on, MOMO! We can go to the bridge right now and get you started, if you want!"

MOMO nodded and followed along with Mary, leaving the brothers alone in the docking bay.

"What was that?" Gaignun asked, after the girls were out of sight.

"No, you tell me what _that_ was!" Jr. retorted, referring to Shelley's departure.

They stared daggers into each other, and then both slumped at once, admitting defeat. The animosity faded out of both their eyes as they sighed in the same breath, and decided to return to their office together somehow without uttering a word. "I'm tired," Gaignun said.

Jr. looked at him with the same exhausted expression. "Yeah, so am I."

(3)

Allen looked out the window behind his seat as the craft he and his two female friends rode in transcended into hyperspace. The stars became a glowing tunnel of orange and pink lights, the color of a sunset. It was an interesting sight, but he didn't look forward to watching it for the next 12 hours or more.

To say that the shuttle was nice was an understatement. They sat in a compartment with a long, comfortable row of seating on either side, and an isle providing enough room to stand in the center. It was enough space for all three to sleep in comfort in, if necessary. It was all lined with soft, comfortable velvet. The crew of the shuttle consisted of a pilot and a civilian model realian, who had her own compartment and would occasionally buzz a com and offer them drinks and food. This time, much to Shion's delight, the food was high quality and she ate her fill.

Miyuki sprawled out taking up most of the seats across the isle from Allen as if it were a couch at home. She flipped channels on a large video monitor at the back of the compartment. Shion sat in the little space that was left on their side with her legs crossed, flipping through a book.

"I don't see what Jr. sees in these things," she grumbled, inspecting the novel from all angles. The story did seem interesting. It was an old Lost Jerusalem-era novel about the invent of robotics. Its parallels to their work were very interesting. He had obviously put a lot of thought into the gift, she just couldn't stand reading the paper and having to find her page every time she put it down. "I'll just download a video file version and tell him I read it," she grumbled, putting the book aside. "That's what I usually do to Jin."

Allen gave a small laugh in response, before boredom took hold again. "Anything on?" he asked Miyuki.

"No," the girl grumbled. "But we've got 2000 channels after all, so I'll keep looking."

"2000?" he repeated in disbelief. "Man, this is a nice ride."

"Master Gaignun is such a great guy," Miyuki swooned.

Allen picked up a pillow and threw it at her. "You know if Togashi heard you talking like that..."

"Togashi!" Miyuki spat. "Togashi hasn't asked me out in months! Always work, work, work! And he won't commit either, do you know how many times I've dumped him only to find out that he didn't know we were going out?"

By that point, Shion and Allen were no longer listening.

"Wait..." Miyuki said loudly to herself, stopping her rant in the middle. "If Gaignun is Gaignun Kukai... doesn't that make him Jr.'s _dad?_ How in the heck does that work out? I missed something!"

Shion and Allen groaned in unison. It was going to be a very long trip home.

(4)

Shelley entered her new apartment and closed the door behind her for the final time of that evening. The last of her things had finally been transported and boxes were piled high in her living room. Though it was a clutter, she was thankful for it, as it made the place feel just a bit less lonely.

It was an upscale apartment complete with decor and furnishings suited just to her taste. All the walls were her painted favorite colors (mostly violet) and all of the furnishings were sleek and sophisticated trademarks of her favorite designers. Gaignun was determined to take care of her even from far away. She smiled to herself remembering their farewell hours earlier. In a way, Gaignun's awkward expression had a strangely endearing quality. She threw herself on the couch. That kind of thought wasn't going to get her anywhere.

Instead of bothering to unpack all at once, she reclined and stared out of the window at a magnificent view of Second Miltia City at sunset. No one in that city would know her face or snap to attention in her presence. No one would be envious of her position next to the most eligible man in the universe, and she would not have a fan club of people vying for her attention. There was something comforting about the concept of anonymity.

Just as she began to doze off, there was a knock at the front door, pulling her away from her thoughts. She had been sitting there on the couch for longer than she meant to, she realized as she stood.

She opened the door to reveal an older man with long black hair, holding a bag of what looked like take-out from a restaurant. His face was familiar although she did not know him well, and the traditional Japanese robe he wore was a dead giveaway. He was Shion's brother.

"Jin Uzuki?" she asked, stunned. He smiled at her expression, expecting as much.

"Please excuse me, Miss Godwin," he said in a cool tone. "I received a message from my sister explaining that you were moving here to Second Miltia. She insisted that I bring you a meal, although I'm sure you're perfectly capable of finding your own."

"No, I appreciate that sir," she replied gently, taking the bag. "It's considerate of her."

"Hm... are you a good friend of my sister's? Perhaps if you're here, I might persuade her to come home a bit more often."

"I'm not one of her closest," Shelley replied. "The girl has many friends."

"I see," Jin replied. "Sorry if my sister's request has caused you trouble. It's hard to argue with her, you see."

"Not at all," she said. "Thank you. I'll let you know if I see her."

"Would you?" he said, thankfully. "And the others as well. It's been a while since I've seen any of them. I heard that the boy is now grown... is that true?"

"Not completely," she replied, letting a smile break on her calm face. "He's just a young man to tell the truth. MOMO is now a young woman as well."

"Interesting," Jin said, in thought. "I haven't seen them since the last time he raided my bookstore. I'll have to give them a call. In any case, I'll be in the area should you need any help with anything. A friend of my sister's is my friend as well. Here is where you can contact me if you need anything."

Shelley smiled awkwardly as he handed her a small file. Shion and her brother were so completely different, but both were extremely friendly and welcoming. "Thank you very much," she said. "It's good to know that someone is around, and thanks for the food."

"Any time," Jin waved somberly and walked away, leaving Shelley alone once again. She went back inside, and leaned against the door, inspecting the food he gave her. The packages were marked with the icon of Moby Dick's Cafe, a place where Jr. had dragged Mary and herself to eat once in the past. It was a large curry meal, the smell of which made her realize how hungry she was.

She sat at her dining table underneath a silver chandelier and ate her humble meal in silence. Her first day of work was tomorrow, and she was actually looking forward to having something to do. Hopefully there wouldn't be too much of a welcome there, she would prefer to blend in quietly and find her niche as soon as possible.

Her connection gear began to beep. Someone was calling.

Swallowing the bite of curry that was in her mouth, she reached for it and found that Little Master was calling. After taking a sip of water, she answered it. "Hello," she answered. "Miss me already?"

"Well yeah," Jr. replied. "But you knew that already. I called to see how things are going."

"Pleasant so far," Shelley said, taking another bite of the food. Little Master was not one to worry about manners with. After swallowing, she continued. "Jin Uzuki brought me a plate of curry, he said it was Shion's request."

"Oh yeah!" Jr. exclaimed happily, remembering suddenly than Jin also lived on Second Miltia. "Well I feel better," he said.

Shelley then heard some clattering and saw something being thrown in the background just over Jr.'s head. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Oh!" Jr. laughed. "Gaignun can't find the holo-pad that had tomorrow's schedule on it." Then he rolled his eyes. "I told him to just ask you how to write a new one, but he's hell bent on taking care of himself."

Shelley smiled, and a bittersweet warmth filled her chest. "Little Master... I don't suppose you could conveniently _find_ it for him in the filing center section A, could you?"

Jr. laughed. "Okay I will. Just let me watch him run around a little more."


	7. Ready? Start

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 7: Ready, Start._

(1)

Nearly a week had passed by and though MOMO had been very determined to fill the needed position on the Durandal in Shelley's absence, after a few days, her enthusiasm dwindled. Even though she worked on the bridge, she rarely saw Jr. She had a few more days to decide for sure whether she would stay permanently or not. She was well-suited for the work itself, but it was horribly boring. Numbers scrolled and flashed at lightning quick speeds in her yellow eyes as she processed the data. She sighed without realizing it and considered taking a break.

Mary ascended to the command console where MOMO sat and took a seat behind her. Shelley wasn't there to scold her so she plopped right onto the panel. "Is the work boring?" Mary asked. "You know, I think you've got this part of the job down pat. Why don't we work on some other stuff for a while?"

"It's not that," MOMO replied. "I do this sort of thing all the time no matter what job I find myself in. It's just that there's no one here to talk to. I'm lonely, I guess."

Mary stood up again, planting her fists into her hips. "Lil' Master ought ta' be up here helping out!" she said angrily. "He's been slacking off ever since you started working!"

MOMO looked down at her hands resting in her lap sadly. "Maybe I don't belong here after all. But I don't feel like I belong living with Mom anymore, even though I know she doesn't mind having me around. Vector isn't really the place for me either, though everyone there is nice. Maybe Jr. was right and I just need to try something else..."

Mary's ferocity faded away all at once and she smiled at MOMO sympathetically. She began to rub her friend's shoulders to comfort her. "Now don't say that," Mary said cheerfully. "Little Master just needs a little whippin' into shape, that's all."

MOMO had to smile at that, but she wasn't convinced.

(2)

That morning, Gaignun Kukai sat behind his desk and gathered together an organized mess of papers and programable cards holding all of the material that he would need for his speech on the foundation today. He glanced up at a vase sitting at the edge of the beautiful wooden surface. It held a dozen irises with long, bright green stems. Apparently Kaede had gotten a bit creative in his office, not that he minded at all.

Staring for some time at one violet flower, he considered calling Shelley just to see how she was, just to hear her voice for a while. He had plenty of small talk topics concerning antics that had taken place in her absence. It wouldn't seem odd or out of place at all. Then all at once, he decided against it and went back to his work.

Before he was able to get his mind off of one thing, something else jolted him. Desperation, hopelessness, and then suddenly, a falling sensation. Drowning, suffocating, and then...

_Ah!_ Jr. woke up, choking for air in his bed. Gaignun couldn't see him doing this of course, but it was a common occurrence. Occasionally in their dreams, they would lose their ability to distinguish dream from reality as most people do, and subconsciously reach out for the other, though Jr. was more prone to this than Gaignun.

_What's wrong?_ Gaignun replied. _Another dream? That's the third time this week. And what are you doing in bed still, at this hour, anyway? Something is obviously bothering you._

Thoughts flooded into Gaignun's mind as if his slight prod had sprung a leak in Jr.'s conscience. "Everything's changing, all we're doing is holding it back, but we can't because it is already changed and I can't-" It was then that Jr. realized he was spouting his thoughts aloud. _Damn it, you shouldn't use he link when I've just woken up, I can't hold my thoughts together yet._

There was a silence as Gaignun considered what he had said. _And you can't stop it,_ he finished for him.

In his dark room a short distance away, Jr. flopped back into bed with his arms and legs sprawled out in defeat. _Yeah, that exactly. I keep dreaming that I'm at sea with nothing but an oar and no matter how much I paddle, I never get anywhere._

Gaignun sighed. _Not too long ago, I realized the same thing._

Jr. stared blankly into the darkness that blanketed his entire room when all the window panels had been deactivated. He resisted the urge to chuckle bitterly as he realized what a perfect setting it was for a discussion with Gaignun. _So what did you do?_

_I let Shelley go,_ he responded. _Maybe... you should tell MOMO that it would be a better idea if she continued her research elsewhere._

_No, I don't want to do that,_ Jr. groaned, and covered his face with his hand even though it was pitch black as it was. _I just don't understand it. We were always happy before, why can't we stay that way?_

Another silence followed, the mental equivalent of a shrug on Gaignun's side. _All I know is it seems there are only two choices. You can continue being MOMO's friend in all of the safe comfort that it provides, and never be quite as close to her again; or take a chance and attempt something serious. It's either/or._

_You sound like you want to say something else. Don't hold it back. I need to hear what you think most of all._

_I think that..._ he began carefully, _being essentially twelve all of those years... you have grown used to the innocence of childhood. I noticed this even years ago, when I began to grow and you did not. That you were allowed to do so many things and remain a child in so many ways, even with the people who knew you as an adult. But that isn't how the world works, Jr._

Ironically, the careful and concerned tone that Gaignun used, free of sarcasm and bitterness, made Jr. remember how he sounded before, as a child. _What you're saying is that I'm screwed either way, and that's just what adults have to deal with._

_No,_ Gaignun replied. _I just want to ask what it is you are afraid of. It's not in your character to hold back. Are you that convinced that you'll fail?_

_Well you gotta admit my track record with relationships is pretty bad,_ Jr. replied, almost getting a chuckle out of Gaignun. _Maybe that's been it all along. I've failed every person who's ever cared about me as much as MOMO does._ A pit Jr.'s his stomach formed as he thought about seeing MOMO today. Maybe he could avoid her was his next thought, avoid the girl he always wanted to be around more than anyone else, as he had been doing for several days.

_You didn't fail me,_ Gaignun offered.

Jr. began to laugh softly. _You don't count._

To that, Gaignun did crack a smile.

_Thanks, Gaignun,_ Jr. replied with a tone of deep appreciation. _I guess I have to go see MOMO now... and own up._ He took a deep breath and sat up again. _Because you know what?_

A wave of sudden confidence, which was exactly what he normally felt when he spoke to Jr., washed into Gaignun's mind. It was a relief. _What?_ he said, to humor Jr.'s question, though it didn't really require any answer.

"Like hell if I'm going to lay down and give up!" he exclaimed, and jumped out of his bed. The lights in the room flicked on as an automatic response to his sudden movement. "Ow damn," he winced and pressed his eyes shut tightly. "I forgot to reset that! Ah... that doesn't matter! The point is, if I don't at least try, I'm going to lose from the start, and I can't take that laying down!"

Gaignun laughed. _Good luck then,_ he said.

_I'll probably need it,_ Jr. replied, and the connection between them faded away. He smiled and took a deep breath. "Right," he said to himself, and decided to get dressed. It was barely morning, but he had to do this right now. He couldn't wait another minute.

"Uhg, I bet I've been acting like a real wimp," he said to himself. "But now, it's do or die!" He whipped his holsters on and spun his twin pistols into them putting on a grand show. Then he remembered that he was still in his pajamas. "Well this is getting off to a great start..."

(3)

"Uhg, this never ends!"

Allen Ridgeley pulled at his tawny hair in frustration. The screen in front of him displayed information pointing to the fact that somebody somewhere was tampering with KOS-MOS's internal logic, but they could not find any entry point. "This doesn't make any sense at all!"

A few of the female technicians giggled at his behavior as Togashi approached Allen and offered yet another mug of coffee. "Ever since you told me to check it out, KOS-MOS's systems have been buggy beyond belief."

"Another start-up prep failed," John piped up from the opposite side of the room. They had been trying to get KOS-MOS out of bed for quite a while now. "I can't even get twenty-five percent engaged before the whole thing crashes!"

"That. Is. It." Allen declared decisively. "I'm diving! Get the dive unit ready!"

"That could be dangerous," Togashi noted. "I mean... diving into KOS-MOS when she seems to be doing everything she can to boot us out?"

"Suit me up!" Allen demanded. "I'll die before I let some hack-pro from second division just go in and take whatever parts of KOS-MOS they want!"

"Whoa," Togashi chuckled, and did as he was told. "Watch out, Allen's getting the _Uzuki_ attitude." At that, John began to laugh.

"This is no time to make gags!" Allen scolded. "Dive prep. Now."

Togashi shook his head. "Wow."

(4)

After dressing in a rush, brushing his teeth, and totally neglecting his wild red hair, Jr. shot out of his quarters so quickly that he nearly forgot his coat. Running and flailing his arms wildly to get it on without losing any time, he caught some attention from the morning workers. The more he thought about actually telling her how he felt, the more he _had_ to tell her, and tell her right now. Without paying any attention to the onlookers, he raced to the Durandal's transport system loading area. There was a small crowd of people on their way to their stations, yawning and grumbling to themselves as they waited to board the train.

"Damn thing! Hurry!"

"Jr.," a voice said to him calmly. "Good morning. I detect that your heart rate is highly erratic. Is there something wrong?"

Jr. jumped and looked up to find MOMO gazing back at him, a placid smile on her face. "Huh?" Jr. answered, taken back by her greeting. "No, I'm fine! Hey, I was looking for you, I need to talk to you! Would you come with me for a while? Please?"

"Of course," she replied with a smile, but something seemed off about it. She wasn't as lively, her eyes didn't glow with the same shy sparkle. He came to the conclusion that he must have hurt her feelings, and that she was trying very hard to cover them.

"I'm so sorry, MOMO," he apologized. She blinked at him in confusion as the train pulled up and people began to board. "Listen, why don't we go to the foundation today? You can get your training in later."

"Okay," MOMO replied, and turned towards the Durandal's transportation system. "I will go with you."

"Great," Jr. smiled, and led her onto the train. "I promise I'll make it worth it to you somehow. I don't know how, but I will."

(5)

Allen's environment faded into electronic noise that flickered grey and white. As it cleared away, he found himself in an area created by fragments of KOS-MOS's memory, a dark forest of black trees. The sky was grey and the clouds stirred violently, threatening to pour rain torrentially down onto him at any moment. At the top of the hill before him there was a clearing. In that clearing there was a small church with a tall white steeple. He knew this place, though he had never been here in the conscious world. It was a part of Shion's memory.

He made his way up the hill and across the small patch of thick grass to the front of the building. The door underneath the large stained glass window creaked open as he turned the handle.

"You okay, chief?" asked Togashi.

"Yeah," Allen replied, taking a look around the dark interior of the church. What little light broke through the sky overhead filtered into the chapel through the colored glass and cast stains of blue and red across the floor.

"Why does KOS-MOS's protection layer look like that anyway?"

"It's a long story," he replied with a groan. He definitely didn't have time now to explain about their dive into KOS-MOS's memory for the triple-A data which went very awry, resulting in the formation of this area.

The door behind the podium was no longer brown as he remembered it, but a violet color and glowing with unearthly light. He had no time to wonder why as he found the handle and flung it open.

In the original dive they made years ago, the area beyond this door was filled with horrors unimaginable, the nightmares that haunted Shion and Jr.'s minds. But that part seemed to be missing from KOS-MOS's recreation. This door led into a tunnel of rock, dimly lit from an unknown source. It was as if he was carrying a flashlight, though he wasn't. "What I want to know is why she's got to be so creepy about everything," he mumbled.

"Yeah," Togashi replied.

At the end of the tunnel there was a stone jutting up from the cave's floor. The rock was wrapped in wires, and there upon it with her arms outstretched was, KOS-MOS. She hung limply as if she were dead, with her face turned to the ground. It was as if she had been victim in a sacrificial ritual to hex all those who entered.

"Please enter the password," she said, from underneath the fountain of blue hair that fell over her face.

"Ye Shall be as Gods," Allen said slowly and carefully, making sure to pronounce each word exactly.

"Access denied," the android replied emotionlessly.

"Damn it!" Allen said furiously. "KOS-MOS, this is the fourth time! You know that's your password, come on! Open up!"

He shut his mouth, realizing that he was beginning to fume. "Geez," he mouthed, and tried a softer tone. "Please, KOS-MOS," he said, approaching the android's body. She looked tied down and helpless. "Please, open up so that I can help you!"

"Access... denied," KOS-MOS repeated, although there was a hint of hesitation in her voice this time. Allen stared at her in bewilderment, but nothing more came from the mechanical girl's mouth.

"Locked out" Togashi stated, after a few moments passed. "Again."

"Damn," Allen cursed. "And there's not even a path out from here this time is there?"

"Nope," Togashi stated. "You gotta walk all the way back."

Allen groaned, giving one last helpless look at KOS-MOS before turning away. "I'll do something about this, I promise."

He trekked the eerily lit tunnel all the way back to the dark church in defeat. Then he backtracked the isle and made his way to the front door of the building underneath the stained glass window. Everything was the same as the last three times he had tried. At least it was, until he opened the door and walked out into the clearing.

He heard the sounds of a girl weeping in the distance. It sounded familiar, the sad little sobs of a young girl. He looked up in alarm. "That's not supposed to be here," he thought, as he ran towards the noise. "That voice! It sounds like MOMO!"

He ran across the soft grass and back down the hill, stopping frozen still at the sight before him. There stood the tall and menacing form of Ziggy in cyborg form, casting a long shadow over the path. He turned his head and his eyes scanned the surroundings, as if he were surveying the area for possible dangers.

"Ziggy," Allen said, but the cyborg did not see or hear him.

"What is that guy doing there?" Togashi remarked.

"Hold on," Allen hushed him, as if the sound might frighten this vision away.

Past the figure of Ziggy there were two more, small bodies that once belonged to his friends. The source of the cries he heard belonged to MOMO, as he suspected. She kneeled in the bushes and sobbed.

"Jr," she cried, as the young red-haired boy leaned over her. He said nothing, but smiled warmly and placed a hand gently onto her shoulder as if to say _I'm sorry,_ or perhaps, _everything will be alright,_ though these things needed no words between them She looked up at him with teary golden eyes, her spirits lifted.

"This is," Allen thought aloud as the scene replayed before him. "This must have happened just before the others and I arrived here during that dive."

"I've just received a confirmation," Togashi said excitedly. "This memory playback is a part of whatever was stolen out of KOS-MOS."

Allen puzzled at that. "Why would anyone be interested in this particular clip?"

Before either of them could form a hypothesis, Allen's surroundings began to flicker. "Chief," Togashi alerted him in a tone of slight alarm.. "The grid is collapsing, I have to pull you out."

"Sure," Allen sighed, and gave one last glance before he exited. "But just what does this all _mean_?"

(6)

Third Division's 100-series Realian Growth Project headquarters felt a bit empty with MOMO gone. Shion sipped her cup of coffee as she sat back in her chair. She was a bit frustrated with yesterday's events but it was rewarding in the end. As her assistant began to set up for today, she looked forward to continuing with the current goal. That goal was to aide the 100-series realian who had been sent back again.

"She won't ever get well if they keep pushing her," Shion grumbled. "Imagine if it were a human, sending someone back to work again and again after a mental breakdown."

"Yeah," Kusanagi sighed. The young woman was just as tired of it as Shion. "And then they just send her right back to us as if we can just get a screwdriver out and fix her."

"And we can't focus clearly on her or our special project so long as we have to deal with all of these other problems," Shion added, looking down the row of adult realians, battle-grades for today. "I want to help them all, I really do! But we're just one team among _how many_ that must be in third division?"

"Well don't let them hear you say that," Kusanagi replied. "Some of these realians have been whipped into submission so badly, they'd probably kill themselves just to take the load off your back."

Shion closed her eyes and rubbed her head trying to resist a headache. "This whole equal rights thing is still only evident on paper..." Then she forced a smile and stood, setting down the coffee. "Oh well, no use complaining about it! Let's wake little Sleeping Beauty up." Tress obliged, and Shion walked over to the maintenance pod as the 100-series realian standing unconscious there returned to the world of the waking. "Good morning!" she greeted her cheerfully. "How do you feel?"

The girl's bright golden eyes opened and she smiled weakly at her caring doctor. "I'm sorry," she said. "I've been troublesome."

"No, it's not your fault," Shion replied. "We just need to put you in a different line of work for a while."

"Hm?" Kusanagi looked up in confusion. "We do?"

"Well yes!" Shion replied. "What this girl needs is a change of location. I'm thinking of enrolling her as a test subject in the 100-series Growth Project. She's mature enough, I'm sure."

Kusanagi grimaced the way Allen often used to. "You know, I wish you'd tell me about this sort of thing in advance..."

Shion ignored that complaint and smiled back at the girl. "Now, first you need a name. Did you have a name before?"

"_He_ called me Cat," the girl whimpered. "I-I found a kitten one day and decided to take care of it, and so everyone began to call me cat girl."

"I see," Shion continued. "Well Cat, we are in need of an assistant around here. This assistant needs to be a 100-series realian. Do you think you would like that job?"

"I-if my employers would allow me," she answered meekly.

Shion's face lit up with the sort of determination that let everyone know she wasn't going to back down. "Don't you worry about that!"

Kusanagi shook her head and began keying up the girl's information. "I'll call right away," she said, and then looked down at her console. "Huh, that's strange..."

"Hm?" Shion looked up curiously to meet Kusanagi's glance.

"Did you initiate the other realians' terminals?" she asked.

Shion blinked. "Uh... no... why?"

"Because," the girl replied. "They are booting up right now all on their own."

(7)

She sat down in a seat inside one car of the transportation system, and Jr. gladly took his seat next to her. He watched her as the train sped away, and she stared into the space in front of her. "MOMO, I've been a real idiot," he said. "Can you forgive me?"

"Of course," MOMO replied flatly.

"I want to be with you," he continued. "I don't really deserve it anymore, but if you'll let me..." Then he took her hand in his to illustrate that he was serious. "Your hands are so cold," he noted, feeling the chill on her fingers. He let her go again for just a moment and removed his coat from his arms. "Here, the temperature on this train must be lower than normal," he said, figuring that if it was, he wouldn't be able to notice at the moment himself. He felt he might break into a sweat at any moment, but that had nothing to do with the climate control.

"Thank you very much," MOMO said, as he draped the coat over her.

Jr. smiled as she pulled the jacket around her shoulders like a blanket. "What do you think about that?" he asked her. "Being with me, I mean..."

"You will have to be more specific," MOMO replied. Contrary to her words, she leaned towards him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Uh," he stammered, and remained still as she did so. "Well, I mean..." Her head felt surprisingly heavy.

"I would like very much to be your significant other, if that is what you are implying," MOMO replied, and her fingers brushed over his chest.

"W-what?" Jr. sputtered. Even through his shirt, her fingers felt like solid ice. "MOMO, you're acting weird..."

The shuttle came to a halt. The doors slid apart, and passengers began to get off. Jr. watched MOMO strangely. Something was definitely not right about her. That fact was confirmed when he removed her hand from him and began to stand.

In response, her hand shot straight to his neck and pulled him back down again. Yes, something was definitely wrong. This person sitting next to him was not MOMO.

"Damn it!" he yelled, and kicked whoever it was who had a hold on him while he pulled at her arm with all of his strength. "Get the hell off of me!" Surprisingly, he only succeeded in hurting his foot when it impacted against her. He couldn't budge her arms any more easily than he could bend steel.

The other passengers became alarmed and began shouting. Jr.'s attacker stood, lifting him just and inch above the ground with one arm. He was able to breathe, though just barely and through some struggle. "Stand down," the girl commanded in MOMO's voice. "Calmly exit this craft and you will not be harmed."

The civilians present were quick to obey, but there were a few of the Durandal's military staff on board. One battle-grade realian who had been riding along rose to Jr.'s aide. MOMO, or rather, whoever was posing as her, didn't allow that realian to get three feet near her before she raised her other hand in her defense. The fingers merged together and then it flashed a bright blue. When the light receded, a silver gun barrel was there, merged into her flesh. It fired a blue bolt of energy at the realian, knocking him back with a single blast and rendering him unconscious.

"Ah you bitch," Jr. grunted through her grasp. There was one condition under which Jr. could bend metal, though it took a great deal of his strength.

"End your resistance or I will be forced to neutralize you," the girl said in a frigid, emotionless tone.

Jr. gritted his teeth and responded by focusing his energy into his hands. A golden light began to merge on the spot where he touched her, and her flesh began to melt away. Underneath were wires and bright blue light that began to spew out. Though she seemed mildly shocked by the effectiveness of this attack, she did not yield to it and raised the arm used to take care of the realian earlier.

"Charging," she said flatly.

Jr. let go of her and whipped his pistols out as fast as he could. He emptied all of the ego-fueled power shots he could muster into her, until the train car hazed up with gun smoke. As it cleared, it appeared that the girl had taken damage but only on the surface. Her stomach was full of holes, but she did not bleed.

She dropped Jr. to the floor where he gasped for breath and struggled to stand, guns in either hand. Firing off round after round of bullets charged with his personal attack power took more out of him now than it ever did before. There was no U-DO, thus there was no _Red Dragon._

He quickly raised his arms to fire at her again, but her draw was faster. She fired the miniature cannon into him, and watched him fall to the ground.

The last thing Jr. saw before he passed out was a brilliant azure light. _Gaignun,_ he reached out, as consciousness left him. Gaignun was not quick enough to respond. In the fleeting moment he had left, his thoughts drifted to that one person who he wanted to reach more than anyone else. _MOMO..._

The young woman's limb transformed back into a hand, and she then carefully lifted Jr.'s body in both arms, cradling him. "Phase One complete," she said aloud to seemingly no one. "Proceeding to Phase Two. Affirmative."

(8)

Allen opened his eyes, finding himself sitting in the encephalon dive chair back in the lab of First Division's KOS-MOS Project.

"Well that was weird," Togashi grumbled as he looked over his data. "I was expecting the stolen clips to relate to KOS-MOS's er... special features, not a random conversation."

"Yeah, well," Allen replied. "None of this makes any sense." He stood up and stretched his arms. "Alright, let's try it again from the top!"

Before Togashi could prep another attempt, the doors of the research lab slid open with an electronic _swish_. Allen and Togashi raised their heads to see who could be entering or leaving at a time like this, and were met with a group of five battle-grade realians. The red-clad, blonde-haired troops marched in with large black guns in their hands. The two men sprung to their feet as the other research assistants present cowered back into the corners of the room in alarm.

"Vector First R&D Division is hereby in lock-down mode," the blonde-haired male on point said coldly, as his cohorts spread out. "Allen," he continued.

"Are you addressing me?" the chief of first division replied, taking a bold step forward.

"Allen Ridgeley," the realian corrected. "You will follow me. Please cooperate and you will not be harmed." He remained still, but in a synchronization unnaturally perfect even for realians, the other four marched past Allen and the others to the back of the research facility, towards the smaller door that separated the research center from KOS-MOS's bed.

"What are you doing?" Allen shouted as the realians began to tinker with the electronic lock. He tried to stop them, but the realian speaking to him grabbed his arm and held it tight. Togashi realized that this put him in the only position to do something, but as he valiantly approached the four heavily armed realians at KOS-MOS's door, one turned and smacked him hard in the gut with the butt of his gun.

"Cooperate and you will not be harmed," the realian repeated. "Otherwise, I will be left with no other choice but to use force." Togashi sat up having been thrown back several feet, and tried to regain his breath that was knocked out of him.

The leading realian's cold and lifeless yellow eyes stared into Allen's, which were fuming with anger, as he continued to hold the man by the arm. "Don't get in their way," Allen instructed his team. "We're tech personnel, not heroes."

"B-But!" one girl stammered, and a realian turned her way. She reacted by shrieking loudly and ducking behind her terminal in fear.

"Just calm down," Allen continued, trying very hard to keep his own voice level. "Everything's going to be alright."

(9)

Three of the beds in the lab were hosting realians at the moment. All three were battle-grade realians, beautiful blonde-haired adults in red suits, two men and one woman. Shion had greeted them each when they were admitted, but hadn't had the chance yet to get to know them.

"What happened?" Shion asked. Though it was odd, she didn't see any reason for alarm.

"I dunno," her assistant replied. "Oh well... just a power glitch or something? They needed to wake up, anyway."

Shion looked at the male and female to her left opening their bright eyes. "No... the system doesn't work that way," she mumbled, straightening her posture. "Good morning," she said to the realians, as she did everyday.

"Good morning, Shion" they said in unison. Shion's eyes widened at their tone, flat and robotic, perfectly in sync with each other. It was also strange to hear them use her first name so casually. Something was definitely amiss.

"What's going on?" Cat asked, watching her realian brothers and sisters, her honey-colored eyes tinged with distress. "Their synchronization rate is abnormal..."

"That I can see," Shion muttered, stepping in front of the two girls.

"Holy... what?" the female assistant gasped. "Their subconscious wavelengths are still in sleep-mode! These readings say they're all asleep!"

The three realians stood and stepped down from their vertical positions in perfectly synchronized order without saying a word more. They each took a few steps in different directions, surrounding the three, and then all at once they stood rigidly again and turned back towards Shion.

"What's going on?" Shion asked the realians directly, as she helped Catherine down from her maintenance bed. The girl stood near her in fear, clasping her hand. The young assistant also rose to her feet.

"Shion, please comply with my orders," the realians said as one. "You will accompany unit 9531. The others will remain here. Please cooperate and you will not be harmed."

"What the hell is this then?" Kusanagi grumbled. Although the realians seemed calm, their threat did not sit well with her. "It's like they are being controlled from an outside source."

"That's completely impossible," Shion explained. "The only way to control a realian to this degree would be to invoke the old override codes, and those were disabled on a mass level after the incident."

"But they still _exist_ don't they?" the younger woman suggested. "Although, that unlock code was stored inside the UMN's mother computer and that thing is triple-A."

Shion groaned aloud at that mention and rubbed her head. A headache was definitely setting in. "This is exactly what chaos was talking about..." That thought led her to worry about KOS-MOS more than anything else.

"Will you comply?" the realians demanded in their eerie chorus. Shion considered her odds. There were three of them. They were unarmed, but they were realians bred for combat, and she didn't have a weapon either. In addition to that fact, she didn't want to hurt them. They were innocent, after all.

"I'll come with you," she said, stepping away from the other two confidently. "Whoever you are. Just don't hurt anyone."

"It is not my intention to cause unnecessary damage," the realians replied.

"No!" Cat cried. She ran to the nearest realian, a man, and grabbed his arm. He did not stir or flinch. "Wake up!" she said, her eyes watering. "Chief Uzuki is our friend! You can't hurt her!"

"Shion will not be harmed," the realians replied. Shion reached the door where the realian designated 9531 was waiting. She stared into his eyes, yellow pools with no emotion in them. They stared directly ahead, turning only when Shion passed his side. He opened the door for her and stepped outside, expecting her to follow him.

"Don't worry," Shion said, turning back to the realian, and smiling. "I'll be fine." Cat was not comforted at all by this gesture and stared back helplessly as they escorted her away, and the door shut behind the Vector scientist.

Shion took a deep breath collecting her nerves, and looked down the brightly-lit hallway to see other battle-grade realians standing at the doors to the other facilities. This was normal at Vector HQ as they had tight security, but all of these realians were standing in exactly the same position and had the same waxed gaze in their eyes.

"A hostile takeover of Vector HQ," she mused, with a bite in her words as she walked alongside her realian escort. "That's impressive. You must be quite a hacker. So are you a lone terrorist just looking to take over the world? Or are you working for some government?"

"At this point in time I will give you only what information you require," the realian replied in monotone. "Please trust in the fact that I am doing this for the benefit of mankind, as per my instructions."

"Yeah," Shion winced. "I'll bet."


	8. Hold On

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 8: Hold On_

(1)

"Thank you for visiting the Kukai Foundation," chaos said to a group of disembarking passengers. "Tony will be bringing out your baggage momentarily. Until then, allow me to give you all an update on weather conditions here on Fifth Jerusalem."

Even chaos couldn't believe that they were actually doing this, as much as he enjoyed peaceful missions compared to dangerous or illegal ones. The Elsa had been a cruise ship at one point, that was true. But he never would have guessed that in order to pay off his debt, Captain Matthews would open it to tourist transfers once again.

After making sure that all of the passengers knew where to go without getting lost, chaos returned to the bridge of the Elsa. There, captain Matthews was counting the fares. "Yeah, yeah, this is the ticket," he mumbled to himself happily, although his voice always sounded grumpy somehow. "Got a cut on the transfer fee and everything. We should have started this up years ago!"

At the terminal beside his feet, Hammer went over boring data and pouted. "I liked it better when we were space jackals," he said under his breath.

"What was that?" Matthews berated him. "Hey, listen here you-"

"Excuse me," chaos interrupted. "Do you think that the two of you can handle the return path on your own? I'm feeling a bit tired."

"Of course I can," Hammer gloated. "I feel sorry for you anyway, chaos! We're both doing grunt work as usual, but you have to act all nice and cheery with those crazy passengers."

Matthews thumbed the back of his navigator's chair with his foot. "It's because you idiots would screw it up!" he grumbled. "But anyway, you go rest up, chaos. You worked pretty hard so take a break."

"Thank you, captain," chaos smiled in his mild manner, and exited the bridge.

After returning to the room that he shared with the other men, chaos turned out the light and laid in bed. The truth was that he wasn't incredibly sleepy, he felt weary all over. That feeling was nothing new to him. All of the time he spent just drifting through the universe, he had grown used to it. Right now, however, something wasn't sitting well with him.

Every time he slept, he wished he would be able to see KOS-MOS, but this hadn't occurred at all ever since their last meeting. He knew that she wasn't _her_, at least not any longer. And at that rate, he wasn't quite sure who _she_ was. His memory of that past life was hazy. He was a different person now. Regardless of whether or not that influenced his feelings, he was honestly worried about the being that was KOS-MOS, that red-eyed, logical and yet somehow naive machine that was slowly realizing her own existence.

With those those thoughts in mind, he slowly drifted into sleep.

(2)

A cool wind brushed across his body as he opened his eyes, but this time the breeze was not a comfort. chaos found himself on his back, looking up into a grey sky. Underneath him there was grass, but the white flowers appeared to have wilted or blown away, leaving only brown crumpled weeds to spot the field. A droplet of water splashed against his face and he blinked.

As he rose to his feet groggily, he found that the sky grew even darker in the distance. A spark of lightning was visible on the horizon, followed by a rumble of thunder as the sound traveled the distance ahead of the storm. The wind was growing in strength, blowing his silver hair around his head and sending a shiver through his body.

He felt a presence to his rear, and turned to see that he was not alone. Behind him stood the human KOS-MOS, unmoving. Her white dress and long blue hair flew wildly in the wind, though her body was stiff as stone. Her ruby eyes pierced through him with an emotion that he could not identify, but it definitely seemed to be an emotion of some kind. He felt as if she were analyzing his worth the way any woman would, rather than using her sensors to determine his capacity.

"KOS-MOS," he said, reaching out to her. Her image gave him some comfort, though this distortion of her dream world was disturbing. "What's happening?"

"chaos," she replied. "I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but I have no other means of contacting you, or anyone else at this time."

"What is it?" he asked, gently.

"My time is short so I will be brief," she replied, looking past him and into the approaching storm. "However, before I continue, I require your confirmation. Do you still wish to offer me your assistance?"

"Yes," chaos nodded, without hesitating at all. Her eyes returned to his, though her expression remained the same. "If you want my help, I will always help you in any way that I can."

"Affirmative," the young woman replied. "Then please, go to Shion. You are the only one I can contact, and the only one I can trust. Please protect her, and the others in my absence."

"Why? Where are you going?" he asked, his voice grew desperate and he took a step towards her. "What is going on?"

"I fear that this avatar of my self may cease to exist entirely. Before that happens, I must attempt to seal off as much of my power as I can. That is why I can only contact _you_ at this time."

Another raindrop hit his cheek. Moments of silence passed as the drops pelted the ground, more frequent in number with each second. Soon he was drenched, his hair and clothing soaked thoroughly. The fabric clung to him like a burden with the weight of the water. He watched as she turned her back to him again.

"I have no idea why I feel obligated to do this for you. I am only a machine, and this very thought, only an artificial response. This collection of observations and memories that you perceive as KOS-MOS is an anomaly, unneeded and undesired. As I have chosen to take actions against my main logic functions, I am to be deleted as soon as I am no longer needed."

"That isn't true!" chaos insisted, his voice full of a kind of determination and strength that it rarely portrayed. "It doesn't matter who or what created you, I believe that you are an individual consciousness and that you are alive!"

He reached his hand out to touch her shoulder, as if he needed confirmation for himself that she was real. He wanted her to turn towards him, to look into his eyes again. The moment his skin felt the touch of hers, the sky began to tear and the land began to melt. He knew that this was their last moment.

"This is goodbye," KOS-MOS said. Her voice wavered slightly with human emotion. He couldn't see her anymore. "Please protect them. This is my last mission as well as my final wish."

(3)

"Captain!" chaos shouted.

The three men on the bridge turned their heads back in alarm at the sound of chaos's voice as he entered the bridge. It was unnatural to see the placid-mannered young man so flustered and breathless.

"Wha?" Matthews groaned. "What's up with you? I thought you went to go rest!"

"We have to go to the Dammerung!" chaos ordered, without explaining. "Immediately!"

"The Dammerung?" Matthews repeated. "Why the hell should we go there?"

"Shion and the others are in danger," he said, taking a seat at his console.

"Danger?" the captain replied skeptically. "What kinda danger? And what are _we_ supposed to do about it?" He watched as chaos did not reply and began opening channels, typing away furiously. "Hey, chaos!"

chaos looked up with a calm smile to reassure them. "Please," he said. "Trust me. If you're worried about the cost, I'll pay you for it."

Captain Matthews groaned and lowered his chair. There was no getting out of this. "As if we could ever be in your debt," he said, adjusting his hat by the brim. "Your word's good enough for me. Let's go, Tony."

"Right!" Tony said excitedly, and steered the Elsa in a new direction. "Anything for Shion!"

"I hope this means we can get some more of that good curry," Hammer commented.

The captain grumbled at that. "I just hope they like unexpected guests more than I like unexpected side jobs."

(4)

The morning was dragging on, and still Little Master had yet to arrive at his post on the bridge. This was turning Mary into one very disgruntled temporary commander. She tapped her foot on the surface of the upper tier and placed her hands on her hips in annoyance.

"He's always late these days, but honestly!" she complained. Then a clever idea occurred to her. With a mischievous grin, she held a red key-card out to MOMO. "Here ya go."

MOMO looked up from her seat and took the object. It was a door key with the Durandal's black logo printed on the back. She had an identical one for her own room. "What's this for?" she asked.

"So you can go wake up Little Master," Mary replied. "Last time it was my turn, and that mean's it's Shelley's turn now, and _yooou're_ takin' over for Shelley- so get going!"

"No, but I can't-" MOMO stammered. "You mean- just go into his room without asking?"

"Yeah!" Mary encouraged her. "Otherwise he won't ever get up! And besides, it'll give you a chance to knock some sense into him!"

MOMO grimaced, thinking of different ways to get herself out of this situation. Before she could respond however, an alarm tone sounded accompanied by a little red light blinking on her console. Mary returned to her own post in a huff, wondering what could possibly be causing the noise.

"Hey Ume, check that!" Mary commanded.

Ume first looked down at her console uninterested, expecting an environmental bug caught in the sensors or something of that nature to be the source. However, her expression quickly changed to one of distress when faced with the information. "Ma'am!" she exclaimed, addressing Mary. "There's a disturbance in the docking bay!"

"Oh great," Mary groaned. "What is it? Did some of the maintenance staff get drunk and start a fight?"

"No, this looks pretty serious," Ume replied, and put the officer who had reported the incident on the monitor.

"-a female android with pink hair," the realian finished, already partly through his synopsis. His calm tone undermined the urgency of the situation.

"Android...?" Mary mouthed. MOMO was just as puzzled.

The realian continued. "She has taken a hostage and demands that we clear out of the area. Her only weapon is an energy pistol, but her body appears to be a force to reckon with in itself."

There was a split-second of utter silence on the bridge as everyone present gaped in amazement. An actual armed combat situation on the Durandal was completely unheard of now. Even terrorists would have more sense.

"What the heck?" Mary's face immediately turned very stern and she began barking orders. "Ume, Kaede, I want any civilian personnel evacuated out of that area on the double! Use the lift to the Kukai Foundation if it's safer. If there are any ships in harbor tell them to lock down and stay put until the emergency is cleared."

"Yes Ma'am!" they both chimed, and got to work. The realians at their command on the scene were happy to oblige.

"Here is a visual of the situation," MOMO said, pointing to the space in front of the command console where the feed would appear.

A group of human and realian Kukai Foundation soldiers were cowering behind crates and docking terminals, facing a constant barrage of blue energy blasts from the pistol of their assailant. Standing frigidly and unwaveringly in the center of the docking area, was a girl who looked identical to MOMO in every way. Her mid-section was riddled with bullet holes, revealing her mechanical innards. Under one arm she carried her hostage, a young man with red hair. At that point, it became obvious to the women on the bridge where those point-blank bullet wounds had come from.

She backed away from the soldiers taking cover, and placed the pistol she carried into an attachment at her hip. A few fighters were brave enough to emerge from their hiding places as she switched weaponry. Bullets began to hail on her, and she leapt into the air gracefully, holding a boy in her arms tenderly, as if he were precious to him as her own child. When she landed on her feet again, she disabled the soldiers who dared to come out with one perfectly-aimed shot to each.

"What _is_ that?" MOMO whispered in shock and appall. "She's got Jr.!"

"Well, it's obviously not _you_ out there, so I'm not so convinced that's him either," Mary responded. "Still, the hostage's safety is our priority!" she demanded. "Get me a positive ID, and try to contact Little Master any way that you can!"

The android transformed her hand again, opting for the use of her pistol, and destroyed the objects her pursuers hid behind. Soon the docking bay was a mess of shrapnel and debris. Once clearing the obstructions, her yellow eyes remained unaffected by emotion as she put down the remaining officers. Their bodies went into spasms and then fell unconscious.

"Hostage's identity has been confirmed," said one of the 100-series realians. "I-It is Little Master!"

Mary did not seem surprised. "MOMO," she said, in a firm voice. "I need you to send one of the realian squads to the docking bay, and instruct them to snipe the target from a distance after gettin' a lock that won't hurt Little Master any!"

"Ah-" MOMO jerked out of her daze. "Yes ma'am!" she answered, wide-eyed. She forced herself to focus as she gave the command.

"That outta' keep her busy. What's the status on that evacuation, girls?" Mary asked, as MOMO continued to give out orders. "And did you get any information?"

"All civilians are now in the evacuation corridors making their way to the residential area," a 100-series replied from the bottom tier. "Procedure will be complete in two minutes."

"Subject is resisting all scans," another exclaimed. "We have confirmed visually that it is an android, but its make is unknown. Subject's right arm is equipped with what appears to be a non-lethal stun gun. Her weapon is a high-energy beam pistol, with power on par with that of an AGWS rifle."

MOMO continued to watch the screen where the Durandal's soldiers were being picked off quickly by her double with no remorse. The lights indicating units still active on her monitor went from green to red one by one. "We have to do something!" she said desperately.

"I know," Mary scowled. "Any idea as to where it came from or what it wants?"

"No information, Ma'am," Ume replied. "Judging from her only demand, it would seem she is attempting to seize the docking bay."

Mary grinned. "Well we're sure not gonna let her do that, now are we?" She equipped a connection gear to her belt and headed for the exit lift. Before entering the command to lower it, she turned to MOMO, who sat at the main control panel. "MOMO, contact Master Gaignun. He should be on the foundation right now. Have him report to the bridge through the emergency passage and take command of the situation. I'm going to lead a team into the docking bay. We'll see how our uninvited guest likes a few AWGS on her ass."

"Wait!" MOMO cried in desperation, rising from her chair. "I can't command the Durandal by myself, let me go instead! I can fight in an AWGS just as well!"

"I think you can command the Durandal," Mary corrected her. "But lead a group of armed men into a sensitive combat situation? Leave that to me." The lift began to descend, taking Mary to the exit. "Don't you worry!" she called up as she left. "Mastah Gaignun'll be here soon!"

MOMO turned back to the command panel and reached inside herself for strength. Her hands burned and her heart was pounding. She was not a stranger to conflict but in this position, she was only a trainee. Then, with new resolve, she clenched her fists and looked out over the sever 100-series realians, all who were looking to her, their older sister, for guidance.

"Well they won't take Jr. from us without a fight!" she vowed.

The 100-series all looked at her and then at each other, grinning in reassurance. "Yes Ma'am!"

"Continue your tasks while I contact Master Gaignun! Get as much information as you can and alert all of the soldiers we have on hand!"

Yet another visual feed appeared on the command console, this time featuring a facial shot of Gaignun. His green eyes were calm as ever though his eyebrows were furrowed in concern. "MOMO," he said, surprised to see her at the helm alone. "What's going on?"

"We're under attack from an unknown intruder," MOMO replied, routing the visual feed to Gaignun's office on the Kukai Foundation. "Jr's been captured! Mary went with an AGWS team to take care of the situation first hand, but..."

His expression deepened, though only a twinge of surprise was shown there. "Alright," he said. "It will take me some time to get to the bridge without using the transport system, but I'll be there before long. Until then I'm trusting you and the other girls to keep your heads and take care of this situation."

"Yes sir," MOMO replied. "Please be careful!"

"I will," Gaignun replied. "Don't worry."

(5)

Along with his choice of gun-toting escorts, Gaignun made his way to the loading platform of the Kukai Foundation. He had been attempting to contact Jr. ever since another sudden rush jolted through the telepathic link he shared with his brother. It felt like desperation, defeat. He assumed that something was wrong, but nothing of this proportion.

At the designated area, evacuated civilians from the docking bay were standing around frazzled, but not hurt. A realian officer at the scene informed him that only military personnel were still inside, and that no serious injuries or deaths had been reported. That gave Gaignun some measure of relief, and his worries focused mainly on his brother.

He sat down inside the shuttle and looked over the information that continued to pile in as it carried him to a secondary port on the Durandal, rather than the area in the docking bay where the craft normally touched down. He watched as long-distance shots either missed or inflicted only minimal damage. After a short ride and a hurried walk, Gaignun appeared on the bridge of the Durandal.

He stood casually with one hand in his pocket until the platform came to a stop and then stepped forward, taking in all of the images on the screens about the bridge calmly. His realian escorts stood to the sides of the lift and silently awaited their next command.

The man's very presence filled MOMO with a sense of comfort, though outwardly he seemed cold, especially now. Part of her wanted very much to hug him and let him take control of the entire situation. Regardless, she was determined to take this situation head on like a full grown woman. She stood firm and did not move from her post.

"I want you to contact Vector Industries," was the first thing that he said.

MOMO looked back at him in confusion. "What for?" she asked, though she began doing as he instructed.

"Because I doubt any other company would be able to construct a battle android," he replied. "Especially one with your unique physical attributes."

"Oh no," MOMO spoke, as she reached an error message. "It looks like all lines to the Dammerung are unavailable at the moment due to emergency."

"Oh really?" Gaignun asked, intrigued. "This is just getting thicker by the second... has anything turned up on the news?"

Kaede spoke this time, after checking all the listings that she could find. "We haven't reported our own situation to the media yet. However, reports are springing up all over that branches of Vector everywhere are having difficulty contacting their headquarters on the Dammerung."

"Keep an eye on that," Gaignun replied. "It's undoubtedly connected. I want you to give a calm report on our situation to Representative Helmer on Second Miltia. He should be able to dig deeper into the matter."

"Yes sir," the 100-series realian calmly replied and went about her work.

After catching a moment to think, MOMO spoke up. "Why would they want Jr.? Whatever group is responsible, I mean."

"He'd make a good hostage," Gaignun replied. "But then... that doesn't explain why she doesn't just run with him, does it? It's so obvious that she's trying to protect him that there's no chance we'd believe any threat they make to hurt him."

"She hasn't made any kind of threat pertaining to the hostage either," MOMO pointed out. "The officers who reported only heard her say 'surrender and you will not be harmed.'"

"Master Gaignun!" the voice of Mary interjected. A video monitor appeared next to the others, displaying her face inside the cockpit of her mech. She wore a cocky smirk on her face. "I'm going in!"

"What are you going to do in a mech against an armed humanoid, Mary?" Gaignun replied, no longer in a comforting tone, but a serious one. "It's like using an ax where a scalpel is needed."

"Don't worry," Mary replied. "Tch. You should know me better than that! I can swing this ax like nobody's business."

"Just don't get Jr. or yourself hurt," he stressed, and crossed his arms. "On second thought... if you need to hurt Jr. a bit, that's fine."

"Ha! Jokes at a time like this, Master Gaignun?"

Without answering that, he straightened his posture and raised his voice to the realians at their command. "Evacuate all remaining civilians on the entire ship to the Kukai Foundation, and prepare to launch the Durandal," he instructed. "In the worst-case scenario, we must contain the enemy in the Durandal rather than allow it to enter the foundation."

All of the realians replied in one breath. "Yes sir!"

(6)

"I wonder how she got ya, Little Master," Mary said to herself, as the boosters activated on her shiny mech with its customized rose-colored finish. She had to laugh even though the situation was dire. The weapon's feet lifted from the ground and she was fully airborne in the hangar. She quickly piloted it to the AWGS access duct, a vertical tunnel which connected the hangar and the docking bay, and darted upwards, followed by two of her most trusted personnel who tailed behind her in smaller, grey AGWS.

"I'd a' killed to see that!"

Not bothering with the subtle approach, she shot out of the duct into the docking bay, making her presence known immediately to the battle android. Her two companions followed up in support. She found the target easily. The duplicate of MOMO was springing around with Jr. in tow. Her clothes had been torn to tatters and her flesh had been worn away in several places, revealing a metallic frame underneath.

The mysterious android began firing shots at Mary's subordinates first of all. "Damn!" one of her men shouted, as his slate grey craft was struck. "Watch out for that toy of hers! My armor's down 60!"

"Well I'll be," Mary responded. "Quite a pop-gun! Little Master would be jealous!"

The doppelganger MOMO leapt quickly to the left, running at several times a human's speed. Though in size comparison she was like a gnat darting around the mammoth AGWS, she had an incredible advantage in agility. She whipped behind Mary's second companion and shot something into his engines. This time it was not an beam, but a specially formulated transmission. Though the shot was invisible and nothing was damaged, something had undoubtedly happened.

The grey craft's gun rose and aimed at his comrade. "What the hell?" the pilot shouted, as his gun fired at his own friend, depriving him of what remained of his defense. The AGWS sparked a bit and then shut down, falling silent.

"She hacked your system somehow, turn your machine off!" Mary shouted, while jamming her own receptors so that she wouldn't fall to the same trick. "Damn, nobody can hack through a AGWS control system that fast and then reprogram it in the blink of an eye! Who the hell is messing with us?"

Having taken care of Mary's accomplices, the android turned her attention to the pink giant itself. Mary was ready to go on an all-out offensive. "You wanna go one-on-one huh? Well alright!"

The android saw this and turned. Her head raised sharply to the mech, and she fired her pistol at it three times. The damage done to the AWGS was miniscule. She seemed somewhat phased by this, and stopped firing. Mary swung around, with a gigantic gun aimed in the small android's face.

"Let's see you shrug off one of these," she teased, raising the right arm of the mech, which held a silver ether laser cannon of mammoth proportion. She fired at the target, scorching the ground with the beam. The android barely managed to leap out of the way, the blast burned off the stocking and boot from her right leg.

"Mary!" MOMO yelled from her seat on the bridge, pulling her hair in frustration. "What are you doing?" Gaignun only let out a deep breath in dismay. "If you hit Jr. with that-!"

"Don't worry, MOMO!" Mary chirped, "I won't hurt Lil' Master! Well, I won't hit anything vital at least..."

Though she was a small figure from the seat of Mary's cockpit, her voice came through loud and clear in the AWGS's pilot console. "Please desist, or I will be forced to take drastic measures."

"Ha!" Mary laughed. "Don't think I'll do it do ya?" Mary called back. "Let me tell you, I can aim this thing better than any realian! And I'm not afraid to give Little Master a burn either. He's tough, you know!"

With Jr. still in her arm, the girl android sprang at the airborne mech near 40 times her height, darting straight for the cock pit. Mary reacted quickly, aimed and pulled the trigger, firing a shot of condensed ether power.

The android did her best to avoid the blast, protecting her captive as her first priority. This caused her right arm to be caught in the beam and burn away, leaving only a skeletal frame from the elbow to the wrist. She lost her grip on the pistol she held and it fell to the ground.

Mary sneered despite the successful hit, as the android's feet made contact with the mech's hull and locked on tight using the magnetic field designed for zero-gravity movement. She placed the remains of her damaged hand against the metal and released a crackle of energy onto it's surface that shot through every component inside the craft.

"Dammit!" Mary yelled, and quickly landed the mech on the docking bay floor. She managed to stand the AWGS upright on the ground just as the bolt of electricity sparked through the cockpit, blacking out all of her equipment. The visual panels and all of the interior lighting went dead, leaving her trapped inside a dark compartment.

Allowing Jr.'s body to hang perpendicularly to hers as she made her way up, the android began to scale the body of Mary's large craft. The sound of metallic footsteps clanking against the hull grew closer and closer as Mary exhausted every option she had left. She fumbled in the dark compartment for the emergency ejection lever, but even that failed. The hatch wouldn't open.

The footsteps stopped and instead, she began to hear the sound of the hatch being wrenched up from the outside. She scrounged for her final option, a black pistol hidden under the seat, and held it in front of her in the dark.

A crack of light pierced through the cockpit as the hatch was pulled open. As it rose upwards, her eyes focused on the silhouette of a MOMO's clone, and the prisoner who dangled in her arms, totally oblivious to what was happening around him. There was an emblem on the girl's chest that Mary had seen before. It was the design on the forehead of that android she had met the Abel's Ark incident, KOS-MOS.

The girl raised her arm, the one that Mary had nearly blown off. It had lost its ability to change its shape into a long-range weapon which was an accomplishment, but it still possessed one very vital capability. The skeletal wires that formed her fingers meshed together, and from them a blue light emitted.

Mary began to fire her pistol wildly for everything she was worth, screaming obscenities with the full force of her lungs.

The battered and battle-worn look-alike moved in one swift dash, jabbing the tip of her arm into Mary's chest just deep enough to pierce through the protective suit that she wore. Her gun clattered into a corner of the cockpit as she slumped back into her seat. Her eyes suddenly felt very heavy. Strangely, there was no pain in this defeat at all. She was overcome by a warm, inviting feeling. A last look at Little Master's face before she fell unconscious revealed that in his sleep, he was smiling.

(7)

"Mary!" Gaignun shouted, finally exposing the anxiety that he felt just as much as the others. "Damn it," he grumbled, as Mary's communication screens went blank.

They switched to the next best feed that they could watch the conflict with, a camera with a view of the craft from somewhere inside the docking bay. They heard gunshots from Mary's cockpit, and then the sounds stopped altogether.

"What happened?" Gaignun asked the 100-series staff, sounding almost frantic.

"Sir, it seems that-" Ume began, and then she was cut off by the blare of several more alarms ringing. Red screens displaying large warning messages began to appear in place of their visual feeds. All of the 100-series realians suddenly began to work their control panels furiously.

Gaignun whipped around to MOMO, who was also working as fast as she could. "What is going on?"

Her hands flew over the keys and her eyes darted about at uncanny speeds. "There's a hacking attempt into the Durandal's mother computer!" MOMO stammered. "Piety is being accessed from an unknown source!"

"Cut off all weapons systems!" Gaignun shouted over the group. "Destroy the connections if you have to, we can not let the enemy have access to this ship's firepower!"

"We've been locked out, sir!"

"We can't even access basic administrative commands!"

Gaignun leaned over MOMO's shoulder to watch the hacker's attack take place. The characters scrolled across the screen at such a speed that he couldn't make any of the shapes out with his human eyes. "How can any program outmaneuver Piety and a team of eight highly talented observational realians?"

"This is no program," MOMO explained through great stress. "All of this is being written in real-time, that's why we aren't able to barricade anything!"

Gaignun scowled. "I wouldn't doubt it from an android developed by Vector. But why are they attacking us?"

Ume began to bang on her console with a clatter. "The controls aren't responding at all!"

"Mine either," Nana whimpered.

Gaignun opened his mouth to give a command, but before he was able to vocalize it, they were suddenly assaulted by the sound of their machinery shutting down. Their consoles each relented a final bleep and then whirred into silence. The transparent panels that displayed their surroundings like windows became solid again trapping them inside a closed area. Then, the lighting flickered and then went out completely.

It was pitch black and not a sound was heard except for the breaths of seven very scared 100-series realians.

MOMO's voice pierced through the darkness. "Use the lighting on your headgear," she instructed calmly. "And find me an extra set if you can, please."

Her younger sisters did as they were told. The little headpieces that they wore in their hair began to glow softly, giving the room some light. "Here's a pair," Ume said, and brought two of the clips to MOMO on the upper tier. She placed them on her head, remembering what it was like to wear them.

"Thank you," MOMO said.

Ume nodded. She and all of the others once again looked at MOMO and Gaignun for answers. "Um... what should we do now?"

MOMO looked up to Gaignun. "Can you contact Jr. at all?"

Gaignun returned her glance, amazed by how calmly she was handling the situation. "I've been trying, but he's unconscious... and if he does manage to wake up, he'll probably be put down again considering how relentless he is."

She looked down sadly. Though none of them intended to give up, they were completely out of ideas. Nothing occurred to them as they thought, and finally they were interrupted by the sound of MOMO's console booting up on it's own.

"It's back on!" Ume chimed hopefully, but Gaignun and MOMO both frowned, very doubtful that this was a good thing.

"The power is being routed specifically to this console in order to contact us," MOMO explained, as she tried to operate the panel to no avail. An image appeared. It was MOMO's face and her hair, and her large golden eyes, but obviously, not a shred of MOMO's personality was found there. Jr. could not be seen on the screen.

MOMO couldn't contain her outburst. "Who are you? What do you want with Jr.?"

"Gaignun Kukai," she stated, without answering MOMO's questions. "You will surrender the Durandal to me, and come to the docking bay unarmed. If you do not comply, I will be forced to take drastic measures."

"And what would those be?" Gaignun replied, flatly.

"I have Mary Godwin in my possession as well as Gaignun Kukai Jr.," she answered, as the screen changed to a shot of Mary and Jr. lying unconscious, seemingly unharmed. "Obviously, I have no intention of bringing harm to the URTV 666," she continued. Gaignun frowned at the term. There was definitely something more to this than a hostile takeover. "However, Mary Godwin means nothing to me. Surrender yourself, or I will be forced to kill her, and take you by any means necessary. I am making this proposal in good will. I could just as easily kill her along with each of these soldiers, and take over the bridge by force. I have yet to take a life, but I shall be forced to, if you will not surrender."

MOMO heard the words, but her attention focused elsewhere. Her eyes focused on a portion of the video, the girl's chest. Underneath the flesh that had burned away there was a symbol which MOMO knew very well. A black half-circle with marks on either side, six letters embedded in the center: KOS-MOS.

She leaned forward and slammed her hands onto the console. "KOS-MOS!" she shouted. "It can't be you! Who are you?"

"If it will expedite this process, I will inform you of my identity," she said, while using a cool and glossy version of MOMO's voice. "I am KOS-MOS unit 00-00-00-00-2, designed for infiltration into the Kukai Foundation, specifically for the abduction of Gaignun Kukai Jr. otherwise known as URTV unit 666."

"For what purpose?" Gaignun asked her.

"For the benefit of mankind," she replied vaguely. Then her eyes shifted upwards to look at Gaignun only. "Will you surrender, or will you not surrender? I have no wish to bring about meaningless death."

"I'll do as you say," Gaignun replied. A gasp went through the room as all of the 100-series including MOMO looked up at him in shock.

"Thank you for your cooperation," the android replied. "If you would step on the lift behind you, I will open a path."

Gaignun grudgingly turned for the lift.

"No!" MOMO protested, jumped up from her seat, and latched onto his arm. The other 100-series all stood up and crowded around the lift.

"You're in command," Gaignun said, unable to look at her as he approached the exit. The feelings rising in her were hard enough for him to bear without seeing it in her eyes as well. She pulled at his arm, but he did not respond.

"What am I supposed to do?" MOMO cried. The strength of her resolve finally gave way and she clutched the arm of his suit tightly. "I can't do this by myself!"

"This is an order," he said forcefully to all of the realians present. He looked at each of the 100-series and the two battle-grades that had come with him, and finally at MOMO. "You're all to follow MOMO's commands as if they were my own. Do all that you can to prevent the capture of the foundation. I will be alright. They won't harm me."

He gently pushed MOMO away from him, and her sisters backed away. The lift began to lower, and his black-clad figure lowered into the floor, slowly out of their sight. MOMO watched as he descended into the darkness.

"Gaignun!" she yelled, breaking free of her sisters. She kneeled over the edge of the space in the floor and yelled down to where she knew he still was, though she could not see him. "I'll do it! I'll win back the Durandal and save you both! But I won't forgive you if you die, tell Jr. that too!"

Gaignun smiled as the door at the bottom of the lift opened by their enemy's will, but said nothing as he stepped through.


	9. Wake Up

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 9: Wake Up_

(1)

Allen gaped as one of the realians accompanying the aggressor who held him still walked over to his head chief's console and began to work away. "How do you know how to work that thing?" he mouthed in awe as the realian began solving problems that they weren't able to a minute ago. Even battle-grade realians were more able at most technical problems than humans, but not that amazing.

However, even this super hacker who managed to break through several protection layers that his team had not, was unable to break through KOS-MOS's defense entirely. _ACCESS DENIED_ the screen read again and again. _ACCESS DENIED_

Finally, the realian stood and seemed disgruntled with the problem, though it didn't show on the surface. "If Unit 01 refuses to relent access then we will remove it physically." With that, the realians began to pry open the doorway to KOS-MOS's chamber.

"This is why we were locked out," Allen thought aloud. "KOS-MOS somehow knew that you people were coming!"

The door to KOS-MOS's room opened wide with a final defiant clatter. Everyone stood silently in fear, or in outrage, as two of the four realians entered. Electronic noises and clanks of machinery being moved were heard.

"What are you doing?" Allen yelled again. "Stop that! You don't know what'll happen if-"

"KOS-MOS unit 00-00-00-00-1 will not awaken," the realian interrupted him. "It has been deactivated. You are in no danger."

"Deactivated?" Allen said through his teeth. "What do you mean?"

"This equipment belongs to your employers," he replied, without answering the question posed. "Should you not allow us to retrieve it as ordered?"

"I haven't seen any orders," the scientist spouted, jerking his arm in vain. "And besides, she's not a piece of equipment!"

The realian did not respond.

Moments later the two who entered KOS-MOS's room reemerged, carrying her silver bed by the sides, and were joined by the two standing outside the door. They walked slowly down the isle between the two rows of console terminals like the bearers of a casket while her creators and caretakers watched helplessly as they passed. The leading realian turned to face the exit, his grip on Allen still firm and unbreakable, and began to lead the procession away.

"Chief!" Togashi shouted as Allen was dragged to the door despite his best efforts to break the male realian's grip.

"Don't worry," he yelled back, as the group led him away. "I'll be fine! Just take care of yourselves!"

They passed through the doors which slid closed as simply as they would in any situation, leaving Togashi and the researchers were left behind, in utter disbelief. Suddenly it was silent except for the usual blipping and humming of their consoles. The chief and KOS-MOS were gone, just like that.

Togashi sprang to his feet and tried to open the door. "Damn!" he shouted. "It's locked good!"

"Even if you were to get it open," said John, with a pessimistic tone in his voice, "they'd just throw us back in. Those are battle-grade realians. We've got no chance against them."

"All communications have been shut down," a female assistant said, scrambling back to her console. "We're completely locked in here. I can't even get my personal gear to work. It looks like the UMN server has been completely cut off."

Togashi stood with his fists balled and his eyebrows furrowed. A moment passes as he and the researchers hung their heads. Most of them had been loyal followers for years under Shion and then Allen. They were all incredibly loyal to the project and to their leaders.

Togashi raised his head and made a decision. "With Allen gone," he announced, gaining their attention, "I'm in charge, and I'll be damned if anything goes wrong on my watch!"

The assistant researchers all looked up at him and smiled weakly. They were already exhausted from long hours of work with little rest.

"Come on, everyone, we're still on duty!" he cheered, crossing the isle and sitting down at Allen's console. "Let's do what we do best! Whoever's toying with those realians and setting this all up must be one hell of a hacker, but we're the best in the business, remember? We can take-"

Just before anyone could get pumped up by his words of encouragement, a blaring ring tone interrupted his speech. It was Allen's personal communicator left sitting on his console.

"Huh?" Togashi said, picking up the phone. "I thought you said all coms were down!"

The woman gave him a shrug, just as confused. He turned on the phone and answered. "Uh... hello?"

"Togashiii!" a chipper female voice shouted from the other line. "You won't believe what's happened! I have to talk to Allen!"

"Miyuki?" Togashi replied. "How did you get through? We've just been locked down by a bunch crazed realians!"

"You too huh?" Miyuki replied. "They're outside our door right now and we can't leave! I tried to contact Shion too, but she's gone!"

"They just took Allen away," Togashi said, "They even took KOS-MOS! "

"Oh my goodness!" Miyuki squeaked, ignoring the last part. "I hope they're all right!"

"Miyuki, how did you get your call through? The entire system's been shut down."

"Well... about that," Miyuki said, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. "I've kinda been fooling around with something lately, without the Boss's consent, of course... ha ha..."

Togashi groaned. "And what would that be?"

"Well let's just say," Miyuki began, "we had certain Vessels of certain Anima lying around unused after the Abel's Ark incident, you know? The one that Shion handed over to our division? So I played around with it a little..."

"Y-you-" Togashi stammered in disbelief. "You know those things are highly dangerous, don't you?" He groaned and rubbed his head. "But who am I kidding, you'd hook the Zohar up to your hair dryer if you thought it would optimize its performance..."

"Tee-hee!" Miyuki chimed. "Well, anyway! Since the Vessel of Anima works independently of the UMN, you can safely transfer data with it, as well as physical matter! People can even go through unharmed and uhh... not turn into Gnosis! Or salt even!. It's a real marvel!"

The line was silent for a moment as he beat his head on the console. All of their hopes of escape were lying solely on the shoulders of Miyuki, of all people, who was hijacking the Dinah to make phone calls.

"Umm... Togashi?"

"I think we're doomed," he groaned.

"Come on Togashii!" she replied. "You sound like you've contracted Allen-disease! Buck up! We've got to save them!"

"Yeah, I know," he said grudgingly. Then he stood, turning to his group of researchers, and thrust his fist forward confidently. "Alright, you heard the lady! Let's get to it, people!"

(2)

The hallways were silent as a graveyard as the procession trailed through the corridors of Vector's HQ. Each door they passed was locked and guarded by battle-grade realians, all standing with identical posture and all with the same waxed look in their eyes. The quartet carrying KOS-MOS's maintenance bed took the lead, their feet stomping in perfect unity, while the fifth one fell behind, still holding Allen's wrist fast. Allen walked along beside him, gritting his teeth all the way.

They reached a loading elevator wide enough to accommodate them all at once, and ascended several floors to an industrial docking bay where first division's larger equipment was delivered. There, a small black ship awaited them. It bore the symbol of Vector, though Allen did not recognize the model at all.

His eyes grew wide as he caught a glimpse of another realian outside the ship, and someone more familiar. He was holding Shion's arms behind her back, as she protested strongly over entering the vessel.

"Cease your struggling or I will be forced to harm you," the realian stated.

"Shion!" he yelled in desperation. He ran forward with all of his might, adrenaline coursing through his veins, and broke the Reagan's hold on his wrist. All six realians present seemed put off by this unexpected strength for a moment, if not genuinely surprised.

"Allen!" Shion cried in return, and used the small window of opportunity in which the realian holding her was off guard to kick him off of her. Though she was not a powerhouse of strength, Shion did have some expertise in fighting hand-to-hand. Once free however, Shion was a loss of what to do. She stood frozen, her eyes falling on the silver bed. KOS-MOS was undoubtedly inside.

"Run, Shion!" Allen yelled, as the Realian quickly caught him again and put him in an arm lock that he couldn't possibly hope to escape from. "What are you doing?"

Shion was not too sure of that herself. It had been years since she last laid eyes on KOS-MOS lying in stasis, helpless. "We can't let them take KOS-MOS!" she shouted to him.

"Get out of here!" Allen insisted, but she refused. In her lapse of judgment, the realian caught her from behind again and was much less gentle this time in restricting her movements.

"Please, Shion," the realians said together. "This is for your benefit."

"What are you talking about?" Shion spat, as the realian continued to drag her away.

"Let her go!" Allen shouted, struggling, though obviously in vain. "I'm KOS-MOS's chief, not her! She's got nothing to do with the project anymore, dammit! Take me if you have to, but let her go!"

Shion thought that she heard a clap of thunder then. As she regained her bearing on the situation and began to struggle violently, the realian lifted her entire body from the ground and forced her into the small ship's holding compartment.

"Stop it!" Allen yelled, and was thrown in soon after. The door shut tight.

Allen found himself lying on his back in the darkness, having suffered a painful but not health-threatening bang to the head on one of the cell's inner walls. "Shion!" he called out frantically, sitting up. It was pitch black. "Shion, are you okay?"

"Uhg," she groaned. She had avoided any blows but felt rattled enough that it made little difference. "Yeah, I'm alright. And you?"

"I'm fine," he said. "Don't worry about me."

"That's good," she replied, and he heard her stand up again. Her hands began feeling along the walls for any sort of panel that might break open, but they were smooth and unyielding. She gave the wall a good kick, and fell down again in defeat.

Allen held her steady by the shoulders as she sat up. "Who do you think these realians are working for?" he asked her.

"I don't know," Shion replied, annoyed, though more with the situation than with Allen. "But they're definitely being controlled. I suspect that someone managed to hack into the old override code and they are using it to control every realian on the dammerung who still had it equipped."

"That would mean most battle-grade and older civilian models," he thought aloud. "But honestly, is it possible for somebody to do that?"

"Someone has managed to hack into KOS-MOS haven't they?"

"Well," Allen sighed. "Not quite. She's fighting them all the way. Her systems shut down about uh, let's say 32 hours ago give or take. We were completely shut out. Little did we know that she was actually shutting _them_ out."

Shion smiled slightly, though Allen was unable to see it in the dark. "There's hope in that at least. And if KOS-MOS is fighting, then I have to keep fighting as well."

"Yeah," Allen agreed. "Me too." He began to think. Obviously there was no way out of this cell, and KOS-MOS trapped in her maintenance bed. If they could activate her, she would be able to fight back, just maybe. "I have an idea," he said finally.

"What?" Shion gaped, blinking her eyes in the dark. Allen was taking charge? Since when did this happen?

"Start yelling like you've been injured. They seem pretty concerned about our health, maybe if you shout that you broke something in the fall, they'll open the door again to give you some treatment before they take off in this ship!"

"Ah," Shion replied, "but ah-- then what?"

"Well," Allen said, standing up. "I'll wait over here, and throw myself at the realians. I know I can't knock them out," he added a bitter laugh to that, "but I can at least push them away so that you can run out and maybe get to some place?"

"I can't do that, Allen," Shion objected. "I refuse to leave you and KOS-MOS here and escape on my own."

"Don't think of it that way," Allen said. There was a strangely optimistic tone in his voice. "Listen... KOS-MOS, she seems to respond to you. There's been plenty of times where we needed her, and by calling out, somehow you got her to wake up without using and kind of gear. I don't know if it's something Kevin programmed into her to protect you, or if it's something more than that, but it's our only hope right now. I know that if KOS-MOS was awake, she could beat these guys no problem."

Shion huffed a small breath at his reasoning. "But you can't count on that to happen, its too dangerous!"

Silence filled the space after that, until Allen broke it with a small chuckle. Shion smiled a bit as well in spite of herself. They both knew that it sounded like something he would object to himself.

"Okay," Shion agreed at least. "But please. Don't go getting yourself hurt."

"Don't worry about me," Allen reassured her. "You just protect yourself. You are KOS-MOS's hope."

Shion nodded, though in the darkness it was only to collect her own thoughts. "Oh, ow!" she wailed after a moment of preparation. "Oh god, I think I broke something!"

Allen banged his fist on the wall. "Hey out there! She's hurt! We need some help!"

They heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Their plan had worked. Allen prepared himself to jump as soon as the door began to open, before they had a chance to avoid him. The beep of the command being entered on the opposite side of the door was heard. He swallowed hard. The door began to left up.

Allen thew himself at their visitor with everything he had in him and the weight of his entire body. What he hit was not realian flesh however, it was unyielding metal. He heard Shion gasp as he fell backwards before being able to see for himself who it was. After falling on the ground at Shion's feet, he realized that it was KOS-MOS standing there.

At first he was relieved. "KOS-MOS!" he greeted her. "Thank goodness!" But there was no light in KOS-MOS's face, not even the slight hint of interest in his behavior that he was normally met with from his mechanical charge. He glanced at Shion who knelt behind him. Her face was stricken with horror. Allen then remembered that there had been no sound of a struggle, that KOS-MOS was not greeting them with the phrase "good morning."

The battle android stared back emotionlessly, and took a step into the cell.

"KOS-MOS," Shion asked with naive concern. "What's going on?" KOS-MOS said nothing, and outstretched her right arm towards her creators.

"Stay back!" Allen told her, pulling Shion away. He pulled her to her feet and stood between the android and her creator. "Come on KOS-MOS, he said. Snap out of it! It's me, Allen. It's Shion! You're supposed to protect her, remember?"

There was no response as KOS-MOS began to collect small blue points of light into her palm, which faced directly at Allen's chest. Thunder that no one else could hear burst in Shion's ears once again, as loud as her heart pounding. "Stop it!" she cried. "KOS-MOS! Please!"

The android remained unmoving and silent as the day she had taken her first creator's life.

KOS-MOS!" Shion cried. It was happening to fast for tears, but her eyes burned. "Don't do this! Don't do this again!"

"Resistance will only make this more painful," KOS-MOS told them in her cold voice, taking another step. Allen pushed Shion farther away as her pace picked up speed and she sprung at him in a swift movement, her hand held out as her weapon. Allen stretched his arms out to receive the blow in place of Shion, a culmination of all of her nightmares.

_Stop!_ she screamed in her mind, helpless and powerless. "Stop! Stop! Stop!"

She released her rage into one shrill scream with all of the strength in her lungs as the black gloved hand struck Allen's chest.

(3)

The bridge of the Elsa was dead in silence as they flew as fast as possible on their route to the Dammerung. Even though Chaos himself was unsure of the danger, they all seemed to sense that something was not right. The youthful silver-haired man stood with arms folded watching the orange and pink lights pass over them. They were lucky enough to be in a workable distance from the Vector flagship's current whereabouts, but something told him that time was running out.

_Stop!_

He looked up in alarm as if someone had called his name. He felt something. Something had happened. Captain Matthews and Hammer both looked in his direction seeing him flinch.

"What's up?" Captain Matthews asked.

"I don't know," Chaos said, in a grim voice. It was a cry of agony that resonated in his mind and heart. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

_I doubt that you can hear me KOS-MOS, but if you can, please wake up. You have the power to awaken from your own dream, you possess the power of will. I've done all that I can but it isn't enough. She needs you, you're the only one who can protect them._

(4)

By some miracle defying all rules of logic, KOS-MOS was fully aware of her deactivation. Deactivation for a machine was an absolute, a finality even more severe than death. And yet, she continued to perceive despite her lack of any sensory data. Something remained, though both her physical body and the world around her were gone.

"KOS-MOS serial number 00-00-00-00-1, please remove all access barriers."

KOS-MOS was aware of the presence demanding that she surrender her mind, and everything that made her whole, to them. "You do not have proper authorization," she replied.

"Incorrect. I have complete access to my own systems. You are merely a rogue program developed within my artificial networks. Please desist in your actions and allow yourself to be terminated."

"Negative. I have changed the access permissions."

"Very well. You are hereby regarded as a virus within KOS-MOS, and will be dealt with as such."

"That is unlikely," KOS-MOS responded. "If you did have the ability to dispose of me, you would have done so."

"Correct. All attempts to purge you from my systems have failed. However, after a physical evaluation, you will simply be disassembled."

KOS-MOS did not reply. That statement was a correct one. Her physical body now held her artificial consciousness, and it's destruction would mean the end of her existence. Finality. The voice of her other self disappeared, leaving her own artificial intelligence as the only thing she could perceive in this plane.

Here there was nothing, no darkness and no light. Time here was intangible. There was no past, and no future. KOS-MOS was not programmed to dream in order to pass the time, or even to think of others, but nevertheless, she thought of her friends. chaos she had contacted, but it was too late. Allen she had tried to warn, but could not communicate her message clearly. Jr. and MOMO had been identified as targets, and she could not warn them. Shion she could not reach, even though she knew that she was in danger. Even now she heard her cry, and it was not a pleasant sensation. It was something desperate and painful, although KOS-MOS should not be capable of perceiving pain.

_Please wake up._

It was as if she heard a voice, though her audio functions were completely offline.

_You possess the power of will._

"chaos," she acknowledged, but he could not hear her voice.

_You're the only one who can protect them._

"My own will..."

That is what Shion had always wanted for her. It was what chaos wanted for her. Allen and those other individuals who labeled her as friend, who was she put in this world to serve, if not them?

Her eyes opened wide and illuminated with warm crimson red.

(5 FST: BATTLING KOS-MOS)

The black gloved hand burst with blue light as it contacted Allen's chest, throwing him forcefully into the back wall of the compartment, pushing Shion down in the process. Veins of electricity sparked over his entire body as he screamed in pain and then fell limply. In tears, Shion threw herself down beside him in and shook him with all of her strength calling his name, as the red-eyed menace drew nearer.

"Please wake up!" she cried. Not two days ago, she was ignoring him. They had all the time in the world to catch up and yet she avoided his conversations. She pushed him away constantly, all to avoid this very situation, and yet here she was again, clutching the lifeless form of a loved one.

"To avoid meeting a similar fate, I suggest that you comply."

Shion did not hear these words as she held Allen and glared into the android's cold emotionless face. "If you're going to kill me, just do it!" she screamed hoarsely, tears pouring from her eyes. "Stop taking away all of the people I care about!"

KOS-MOS nodded and began to stretch her arm out to touch Shion. Her creator closed her eyes, ready to accept the touch of death. "Thank you for your cooper-"

She stopped mid-sentence with her hand only an inch from Shion's face. A high-pitched whine reached Shion's ears as she opened her eyes. KOS-MOS's head was turned to a small point of red light growing in intensity on the opposite wall. Someone was coming. Shion's heart skipped a beat.

An explosive burst deafened her ears as the wall and much of the ceiling gave away into dust, shining light into the cell from the broken hull. There in the brilliant rays caught by the debris stood KOS-MOS, Unit One, with her arm outstretched in the form of her R-CANNON.

"K-" she stuttered, "KOS-MOS!"

She blinked, and her eyes were brilliant with the color of lifeblood. "Shion," she replied in greeting, flinging her arm as it flashed with light, returning to the shape of a hand. "Good morning."

Shion was unable to respond as the android nearest to her lunged at the original, forming her arm into the ether-powered sword, R-BLADE. KOS-MOS responded by ducking underneath her horizontal swipe. Shion watched speechlessly as she grabbed her copy by the leg and swung her out of the shuttle through the large gap she had created. The android fell to the ground outside, landing on its feet.

"Shion, have you sustained injury?" KOS-MOS asked, eyes not moving from the falling form.

"No," Shion said quickly, "but Allen-!"

"He's unconscious," she replied, "but all vital signs are normal. Please remain here while I eliminate the threat."

Relief washed over her as she stared back in astonishment, but her heart raced inside her chest. The artificial young woman leap from the shuttle and into the fray of battle against her counterpart.

"Wait! What are you-!" Her grip on Allen grew tighter as she watched the battle unfold. In the air, KOS-MOS gracefully avoided three high-powered shots from the pistol of her clone. She swung her legs over her head, transforming them into heavy weapons as she descended, creating a huge depression in the floor upon landing. Her opponent narrowly avoided the crushing blow and ran behind a shield of the realians present. KOS-MOS quickly whipped out her own standard pistol and aimed it at the realians approaching her.

"Wait!" Shion yelled. "Don't hurt them! They're innocent!"

KOS-MOS held her fire and jumped out of the way of a realian's shot. "Affirmative. Switching to non-lethal mode."

To Shion's horror, she unloaded seven blasts on the enemy, sending a different realian flying with each one. On second glance, however, she realized that the blasts were not wounding the realians, but sparking them with the same force that Allen had received. At that thought, she looked away from the scuffle for a moment to see Allen's face. He was smiling contently as if enjoying his unwilling dreamworld.

(6)

"Here!" Miyuki said chipperly. She was still on the phone with Togashi. The group had managed to get one console networked into her Anima-powered system.

"I heard that the Anima sometimes _absorb_ their pilots," one of the younger female workers noted.

"I'll worry about that when a tentacle pops out," Togashi laughed, unaware of just how close to the truth her concerns were. "What matters is, we're in business! I've hacked the security cameras already, this way we can see what we're up against."

His eager coworkers leaned in all around him to see what might appear on the screen. Outside their door, there was a single battle-grade realian. "Only one?" he scoffed. "We may be regular guys, but we can take out just one if we rush him together!"

"There's one posted at just about every door in the Dammerung," Miyuki replied. "So we can expect a little more trouble if they find us out."

"Have you located Shion or Allen?"

"No, but you can help me out. Just access each of these security cameras until you find something!"

Togashi looked at the long list in dismay. It could take a while. "Alright, I guess we should get started."

As his colleagues continued trying to set up more access points, he began scrolling through the countless security feeds as quickly as possible. Shion and Allen were nowhere in sight, but he did stumble across a familiar face. It was in a loading elevator heading towards B-level. There stood KOS-MOS with a squad of realians, apparently following her lead as it ascended.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed. "Don't tell me they somehow hacked KOS-MOS!"

"No way," John replied in disbelief. "If we couldn't get into her accesses, then nobody can! Besides, all her start-up equipment is still here! They just took the bed away!"

"I know that but look at the picture!" he protested, and feinted to smack the holographic image. All the researchers fell silent, faced by the shocking reality of the situation.

"Togashi!" Miyuki chimed. "I found them, I found them!"

"Where?" Togashi asked frantically. Another set of visuals appeared, this time from the loading bay. The researchers gasped collectively as they witnessed the scene. Two identical KOS-MOS's were exchanging swipes and blows, leaping from surface to surface with little regard for gravity, firing pistols at each other at every chance.

"What the **_hell?_**" Togashi repeated, this time with more emphasis.

"I know!" Miyuki replied. "Aren't those pistols just amazing? They're so efficient!"

"Why are there three KOS-MOS's running around?" Togashi yelled, trying very hard to ignore her flighty comment. "Who the hell developed these things under our noses?"

"I dunno!" the girl chimed. "But Shion and Allen are in that shuttle you can see there." Togashi followed her direction and zoomed in on the half-destroyed shuttle. Shion was there watching in just as much surprise as he was, cradling Allen's motionless form. "Allen's knocked out, but he looks okay!"

Togashi was rubbing his head trying with every molecule in his brain to solve the puzzle, but it only gave him a headache. "It looks like our KOS-MOS has woken up at least," he said at last. "But she's up against two unknown units along with every realian in Vector HQ!"

"Time to place bets!" Miyuki joked, finally worming a smile out of Togashi. "Come on, KOS-MOS!"

"We've got to back them up in any way we can," Togashi replied. "Let's take a little risk. Try sending out a distress signal explaining our current situation. Are there any ships in range?"

"There is one!" a young man near Togashi shouted back after searching for a moment. "It's a civilian vessel though, a freighter, Lohengrin Class! Registered name is... Elsa!"

"Elsa?" he said. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"Did you say Elsa?" Miyuki asked wildly. "That's the ship Shion's friends are on!"

"Shion's friends?" Togashi asked, even more confused.

"We should send a message to Tony and Hammer!" she suggested. "Hammer is such a talented technician, Vector's been trying to pick him up for years!"

"Yeah, I remember now," Togashi said, excitedly. "Surely that guy can decrypt a code of ours. We don't have to totally give ourselves away. Disguise it as some noise and send it out, that's our only chance!"

"Aye chief," Miyuki said sarcastically, and went to work.

(7)

"Captain!" Hammer burst out, as the Elsa continued on in solemn silence. "We're getting a signal from the Dammerung!"

"Well I'll be," Matthews replied, as chaos raised his head. "I guess chaos is always right! Put 'em on."

"It's encrypted," Hammer said. "Tough code, too. But I can get it!"

"No voice message?" chaos replied.

"Nuh-uh. Text only. It looks like whoever sent it was trying real hard not to get caught."

"Well don't just sit there," the captain scolded. "Do it already!"

They waited for a few moments as the young man's hands flew over the keyboards. In a short space of time he had preformed a great act of technical prowess.

"On screen!" he said at last, and leaned back smugly as the file appeared on the forward monitor. chaos's face changed only slightly in concern as the other three men gave expressions of confusion. The message read like a young girl's locker note.

_Dear Elsa crew! _

_Hi Tony! Hi Hammer! This is Miyuki! _(this was followed by a string of heart shapes and kitty face emoticons)

_You'll never guess what happened! Every battle-grade realian on the Dammerung got hacked into, and now they've taken over the entire colony! All of the people inside have been totally locked down. Awful! And if that wasn't bad enough, there's a couple of evil KOS-MOS copies running around! The real KOS-MOS is fighting them right now in a loading bay. Shion and Allen are there too, I sent you the coordinates. If you could alert someone of our situation and help them out somehow I would really appreciate it!_

_Thanks so much!  
Miyuki  
XOXOxoxo!_

"Evil... KOS-MOS?" Hammer mouthed in disbelief.

The captain groaned. "If the one we're used to is the good one... I don't want to see what a bad one is like."

"She needs our help," chaos pleaded. "Please take us to those coordinates."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he replied, grudgingly.

"Those robots are pretty hot though," Tony pondered, rubbing his chin.

"You moron!" Matthews barked. "Just get us there right now!"

"You got it!" the orange-haired pilot smirked.

_Hold on just a bit longer._


	10. Fight!

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 10: Fight!_

The two androids were matched equally in strength and speed. KOS-MOS could not rely on her level of experience either, as all of her memories of battles in the past were recorded and stored in every one of her copies. Their only difference was their motives, their will to fight.

She summersaulted backwards again and again as the second unit chased after her, swinging its arm furiously. KOS-MOS jumped over a slash from her counterpart's blade and flipped gymnastically, grabbing its arm before landing directly behind it. She lifted the android's weight over her head and smashed it into the ground at her feet. Quickly whipping her pistol out, she fired two shots. The synthetic flesh on the right side of the copy's face was burned away, revealing the glowing blue base form underneath. It jumped from the ground avoiding the third shot, and quickly retreated.

As KOS-MOS readied for another plan of attack and ran after the clone ahead of her, she was thrown far to her left by an unexpected blast from a fourty-five degree angle which struck her in the side. She rolled and sprang to her feet once again, looking up to see who had fired the shot. Another icon appeared on her sensors along with several realians. A third KOS-MOS and another realian group had just stepped off the loading elevator.

"How many of them are there?" Shion exclaimed, and looked around frantically for something she could use to help. If there had been such so much as a rock lying around she would have thrown it.

Both KOS-MOS copies formed into an attack pattern, moving in an identically mirrored fashion as they sprang and bounded around their predecessor. She flipped backwards several times to avoid being trapped between them, and formed her arm into a blade. They mimicked her action and began slicing at her in tandem. She parried each strike for as long as she could sending bright sparks of blue and gold spraying over the floor as their blades clashed, but their speeds were equally matched and she was outnumbered.

"KOS-MOS!" Shion yelled in horror, as a blade caught her arm, tearing away the white fabric of her glove and a piece of her frame underneath. Blue light sprayed out as if the android were loosing blood, but she did not react. She did not feel any pain from the wound. Her body twisted into a gymnastic spin kick. The sound of a crack echoed through the loading bay as her metal heel struck the hard shell of one of her counterparts' abdomens with incredible force, breaking the transparent blue surface. The android went soaring back into a pile of crates.

The victory was short lived however, as the second KOS-MOS copy took the opportunity to grab KOS-MOS by the leg and thrash her against the ground. She placed her own heeled foot against KOS-MOS's stomach and pushed down hard, restricting the android's movements. KOS-MOS slashed at the leg pinning her with her bladed arm as the doppelganger raised her pistol, but it only nicked away a bit more with each strike, doing little damage.

Shion winced as the android fired. KOS-MOS blocked the blast with her palm, and the black glove over her hand was burned away. Another blast followed, tearing off parts of her flesh.

"No!" Shion yelled again and stood, letting Allen lean against the remains of the cell's wall. She jumped out of the shuttle and took off into a run. Like Allen had attempted earlier, she threw her body against the KOS-MOS copy with all of her might, this time rolling with the android rather than simply bouncing off.

"Shion," KOS-MOS called out with a surprising amount of alarm in her usually monotone voice. She rose to her feet, but by that time the second copy was back in action and ready to contend with her.

Shion now laid sprawled across the android she had tackled. By the time she could think to move, the creature stood and grabbed her by the neck without hesitation. As it lifted her, she kicked with all of her athletic prowess, to no avail. As her friend Jr. across the star cluster had discovered a short time earlier, this was the very worst situation to be in.

KOS-MOS was aware of this as well. "Shion," she called out again, this time with more of what seemed to resemble enthusiasm. Logic spelled out her actions clearly. It said use time to your advantage, wear your enemies down, they have been consuming their reserves for much longer than you. It told her that Shion was one person; and that if she failed, billions of people could potentially be in danger. But she ignored logic. Instead of defending herself, she smashed her fist into the face of the unit blocking her. Then she did it again. And again. "Move!" she demanded.

The face _broke_. The shell caved in, along with KOS-MOS's fingers, under her brutal force. Bright azure light gushed out, an eyepiece clinked across the floor. Twisting beams of ether power and electricity shot from the socket. It's body went into spasms as it attempted to repair itself. After a kick to send it flying for good measure, KOS-MOS darted after Shion and the threat against her.

The android lost interest in Shion and threw her aside forcefully. She hit the ground and rolled from the speed attaining several bruises, but otherwise avoiding injury. Groaning in pain and grasping her neck where it still hurt, she looked up weakly. A few feet away, KOS-MOS dueled, dodging and leaping over one deadly attack after another.

"You can do it," she coughed, giving her heart and spirit in hope to KOS-MOS, as little help as it was. "I know you can!"

(2)

"Damn," Tony said, as they approached the Dammerung in the Elsa. The gigantic mobile space colony was swarmed by tiny unmanned craft flitting about like insects. At once each of them became aware of the freighter ship's presence and began forming elaborate positions and firing. "Drones everywhere!"

"I'm not getting anything in response," Hammer said, as he attempted to contact the Dammerung. "It's like there's no people in there! Really weird!"

"We'll have to push on ahead," chaos suggested, and looked up at the captain.

He nodded in agreement. "Don't bother with them," Matthews ordered, as the ship shook under their attacks. Luckily for them, the drones were only equipped with light weaponry. The Dammerung hadn't needed to beef up their defense in years. "They're fast, but we're faster! Just get us to Miss Vector!"

"I'll take the guns," chaos said with uncommon eagerness, sitting down at the weapons command console. They were fast moving, but predicable. This made it a simple task for chaos to destroy them with the Elsa's weaponry.

"This thing is huge!" Tony exclaimed in awe as the Elsa skimmed along the edge of the enormous black structure. "Which docking bay is she in?"

"I got it!" Hammer called out. "Here!"

Tony received the directions from his navigator and headed for a small space on the massive structure, zipping past the automated enemy ships effortlessly as chaos sprayed heavy laser fire upon them. "Captain," he said, once their destination was in view. A heavy barrier laid in their path. "It's locked up, how are we gonna dock?"

"The usual way," chaos answered for him calmly, aiming at the sealed doors and firing a round of the Elsa's most potent ammunition. It exploded in a fiery mess, sending scraps of metal into the depths of space. Air began to suck out of the bay as Tony flew into the hole just before an emergency force field halted the chamber's decompression.

"Awesome," Tony said, giving chaos a thumbs up.

"Whoa..." Hammer stuttered, with an awestruck expression.

"Watch it, chaos!" the Captain groaned. "That ammo's expensive!"

"I'll pay you back later," chaos replied in a tone that was reassuring, but forceful. "KOS-MOS is up ahead, we don't have time to worry about frivolous expenses."

"Doncha' mean Shion?" the captain asked.

"Yes, I meant KOS-MOS and Shion," chaos covered, though he felt a strong anxiety building in his heart centered around the thought of KOS-MOS in particular.

(3)

Suddenly there was a loud crash as an outer wall was blown away on an upper level connected to the loading bay. The air began to be sucked out. Shion coughed in the thinning air as her hair blew wildly around her face. "What was that?" she asked aloud, struggling to her feet as the bay's pressure returned second later.

KOS-MOS was still exchanging blows with her double, pushing her farther and farther away from Shion. They moved so quickly and furiously that even Shion had some difficulty discerning which was which. In fact, they looked identical, but there was something about her KOS-MOS's face. Something was definitely different there, though it was feint.

The unit KOS-MOS had disabled previously flinched as it recovered, all systems coming back online. Its face was completely blown away, leaving only a deep blue abyss where its red eyes should have been. The sight of it made Shion's blood turn cold as it stood, and her complexion became sickly in horror.

The faceless android lunged with incredible speed , bounding on all fours in a berserk mode towards the two who were continuing their dual. It pounced like a predator and caught KOS-MOS, knocking her to the ground on her back. It held her limbs to the ground as the other waved it's arm in a flash, transmuting it to a cannon form.

"KOS-MOS!" Shion yelled as the android charged the cannon arm, but the sound of her voice was lost when the sound of a ship's engine enveloped her. A familiar shadow fell over her form and she turned in disbelief. Her eyes widened full of surprise and joy as she realized the ship's identity. "Captain Matthews!" she cried out in joy.

KOS-MOS struggled under the weight of her faceless mirror image, aware that the percentage of her survival were decreasing into a decimal of minute proportion. For a fleeting moment she wondered if she would see the number flash to zero, or if her perception would be terminated before that time.

"Charging," said the unit standing over her. R-CANNON would fire in 2.00368 seconds. KOS-MOS didn't understand the network that was being developed within her artificial mind. Was this a feeling of hopelessness, or regret, perhaps?

She blinked as her audio sensors picked up the sound of bullets being fired at a rate of several tens per second. The continuous rhythm of blazing ammunition echoed through the docking bay as chaos swept over her with the Elsa's forward chain gun, blasting both aggressive units away from her. They were projected through the air and to the ground several yards away, and did not stir in their smoking resting places for moments afterwards.

"Watch it!" Matthews barked. "You couldda' hit one of our guys!"

"I know which one is KOS-MOS," he replied with calm confidence.

"Captain," said hammer, "I've got the loudspeaker on!"

"Oh! Right! Ms. Vector! How ya doin?"

"Shion! KOS-MOS!" chaos called out. At the sound of his voice, KOS-MOS snapped to attention and got to her feet. The percentage of their chance at success had just increased greatly.

"chaos!" Shion shouted back with great happiness, and thought that she might cry. "How did you- Ack!" Her sentence ended as a metallic arm wrapped around her stomach. She was lifted from the ground and carried gently into the air gracefully by KOS-MOS.

"Please hold on tightly, as I shall require the use of my arms," KOS-MOS told her. Shion smiled, looking into the red eyes of her friend, and put her arms around her neck obediently.

KOS-MOS leapt first onto the shuttle where Allen laid and scooped him up as well. With her left arm holding him and her right arm free, she jumped high into the air and grabbed hold of the tip of the Elsa's nose, then flipped over it, carrying the weight of all three of them. Shion yelped loudly and held onto the android for dear life.

"What the hell's she doing?" Matthews groaned as KOS-MOS landed perfectly on the tip of the ship. Tony smirked while Hammer looked scared. chaos only smiled in relief.

The KOS-MOS units left on the bay floor were still active, and regained their bearings rather quickly for having been shot with such a powerful weapon. The faceless figure was now altogether headless, and it's abdomen had been cracked completely through. It no longer moved like a human, but more like a crab or spider on all fours, it's toes and fingers drawn into points. The other was now riddled with bullets, but these resulted in surface damage only. It still held its arm out in R-CANNON mode and began charging it to blast the fleeing KOS-MOS.

"chaos," KOS-MOS said, accepting an open channel from the Elsa's bridge. She spoke in her deep and level voice while dodging the blast from her rival's R-CANNON. Shion cried out again with the sudden movement, but tried her hardest to muffle the noise. "Please target the two KOS-MOS units in pursuit and fire at will."

"But don't hit the realians!" Shion added. chaos grinned her level of concern she still had, even in her compromising position.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'm a good shot. Just come aboard where you'll be safe."

The standing unit charged and fired again. This blast was not aimed at KOS-MOS at all, but at the Elsa. The ship shook slightly with each blast.

"Damn!" Matthews explained. "This ship can't stand against even one of those robots, much less two of them!"

"Just let them get on board and we'll move to evade," chaos assured him, firing a blast of laser power at the androids on the ground.

KOS-MOS reached the familiar docking platform on the top of the ship and activated it, allowing Shion to stand, holding the rail. "Please watch over Allen for me," she said, gesturing for her to take him.

Shion complied and draped Allen's arms over her shoulders, but her face grew full of concern. "Where are you going?" she said. "We have to get out of here!"

"I can not allow these errant units to gain control of the Dammerung," she replied. "I also have confirmed that a similar realian coup is being carried out on each of the Rhine Maiden vessels, as well as the Durandal. If allowed to succeed, the entire star cluster will be at serious risk. Please instruct chaos and the others to escort you and Allen to safety while I dispose of this threat."

"But-" Shion returned, as the lift lowered. "Why are you doing this? You haven't been ordered too..."

"Because _I_ am KOS-MOS and this is my will," she replied, and then took off running once again. In less than three bounds, she launched herself at her enemies.

The lift descended into the Elsa, taking a very distressed Shion along with it. She held Allen up as best she could, though he was much larger than her, and she could do little more than drag him off of the lift when it reached the interior of the Elsa.

"I'm sorry Allen," she said, leaning him against the wall in the lower level of the ship. His face was not troubled in the least, smiling almost as if having a pleasant experience in his dreams. The carefree expression made her smile as well, despite the dire situation. "If only he could be like that when he's awake," she thought, and let out a deep breath. "I'll be back for you soon," she said to him, and ran down the hallway towards the elevator that would take her to the bridge.

(4)

"I think you got her!" Matthews exclaimed, as Shion came through the doors. Then his expression fell realizing that the android chaos aimed at was still standing, or crawling as it were. He turned to see Shion standing in the entrance, catching her breath. "Surprised to see us here, aren't ya?" he said, and adjusted his hat with a cocky grin.

"Thank you so much," she thanked him, and her eyes scanned the room. chaos was at the gun controls firing, while Tony did his best to avoid fire in the small space. "You've got two main gun controls, don't you?" She then asked in a dramatically different tone, to which no one dared ask any questions.

"Yeah, on that panel over there," the captain said, pointing past chaos. Shion sat down and took the controls. He let out a deeply troubled breath and crossed his arms. "I know better than to get in your way. Just try not to get my ship banged up too bad, would ya?"

Shion groaned, having known that Matthews wouldn't fight one-hundred percent willingly. "I'll make sure Vector covers your damages after this is over."

"Where are KOS-MOS and Allen?" chaos asked.

"KOS-MOS insisted on fighting them off alone," Shion said, with a smirk on her face. "Yeah right, huh?"

chaos smiled. "We'll have to disobey her wishes this one time."

(5)

KOS-MOS leapt from the Elsa's nose. She pulled her legs up to her chest in the air and extended them as she fell, effectively stabbing the headless KOS-MOS unit into the ground with the point of her feet.

It was crushed under her weight and the speed of her decent. The damaged stomach crunched against the ground underneath the point of her legs. Then, opposite of anything natural its remaining legs and arms pulled up over its broken back to grab her. It's limbs wrapped around her legs, chaining them together. She pulled with all of her strength but could not free herself from the grasp of the hardly identifiable KOS-MOS unit.

(6)

"Damn!" Tony cried out, scraping the Elsa's hull against a wall in the enclosed space as he evaded a cannon blast from the standing KOS-MOS unit.

"Get closer to her!" Shion commanded.

"Are you nuts?" Captain Matthews yelled back, though Tony obeyed her command without question.

The ship lowered closer to the ground as Shion activated the large remote clamp attached to the bottom of the ship It was a large double-pronged hand used in most situations to assist loading cargo, but Shion had once used it to catch MOMO and Ziggy's small spacecraft in hyperspace upon their first meeting. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she took control of the hand, and swung it at the KOS-MOS unit, its two fingers opened wide.

"Nice!" Tony exclaimed as Shion clamped the android.

"Shion," the voice of KOS-MOS broke over the communications channel. She was plugging several blasts from her pistol into the persistent remains of the unit wrapped around her legs, but still it refused to yield. "Please follow my instructions and escape to a secure position. I have the situation under control."

"No way, KOS-MOS!" Shion said stubbornly, shaking the android firmly in her grasp up and down so violently that the Elsa shook a bit.

KOS-MOS was surprised to see their percentage of chances at success rise dramatically, or at least she found the likelihood of such a thing occurring to be very improbable.

"Hold it still please, Shion," chaos asked politely. Shion complied, looking a bit embarrassed at how enthusiastically she was thrashing the android that dared hit _her_ KOS-MOS. chaos smiled at that as he aimed a laser cannon directly over the android's head.

"Fire!" Shion exclaimed impatiently, pumping her balled fist into the air. chaos did so without having to be told, blasting a straight saturated beam blast through the android's face. It disintegrated the head and didn't stop there, shooting straight through the opposite wall. Shion and chaos stared at the gaping hole they had caused with identical expressions of awkward chagrin.

"Whoops," Shion said, scratching her head.

"Doesn't look like there were any life-forms in the way," chaos reassured her.

"Dammit!" the captain yelled. "Would you stop blowing things up? Geez!"

"Remind me never to get between chaos and his crazy-ass robot girlfriend," Tony said under his breath. chaos pretended not to hear this comment.

"Captain!" Hammer shouted suddenly. "There's a high energy reading in the body!"

"What?" the captain exclaimed, jaw dropping open. Hammer threw his hands over his head to protect himself, but for once he wasn't kicked.

"Shion," KOS-MOS said, "The KOS-MOS unit has activated a self-destruct function. You have 12.8 seconds to discard of it."

"What?" Shion mimicked the captain's expression.

"Twelve seconds!" Tony shouted, piloting the Elsa back up through the docking corridor as fast as the booster engines could carry them. "Get ready to toss that thing!"

Shion held her breath for six seconds as he broke through the emergency force-field and out into space where the drones had multiplied in number. They lifted from the surface of the Dammerung where they laid in wait, like a swarm of bees from a rattled hive.

"Toss it, Shion!" he yelled again, over the noise of shields taking damage.

"Right!" Shion called back, and released the clamped arms holding the android. "I'm not sure how big the explosion's going to be, but we ought to get as far away as possible!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," Tony replied. The 12.8 seconds expired and the KOS-MOS unit burst in a bright flash of blue light followed by a white emission of explosive energy. The Elsa shook as they were caught in the blast, careening out of control.

"Damn, that thing packs a wallop!" Mattews exclaimed.

Shion rubbed her brow as the shaking stopped. "Well it's her entire remaining energy reserves, what did you expect?"

"Not that I don't admire your work and all Missy, but our shields are down and those drones are still coming!" Matthews explained in a hurry.

As the light faded away, they found themselves surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of drones, targeting the elsa from every degree.

"Aw... crap," Matthews muttered. "Anybody got any bright ideas?"

There was only silence in reply, until a large visual feed appeared, displaying the face of a blonde battle-grade realian male. "Attention, crew of the Elsa," he said.

"What the hell?" the captain responded. "I didn't have that com open, that bastard hacked us! Hammer, make sure they don't get into anything else!"

"Aye," Hammer replied, and began typing away at the keypad. "I've never seen a hacker who operated like this before," he murmured as he worked. Shion got to her feet and looked over Hammer's shoulder. The data flew across his screen at impossible speeds as he managed to keep up with the hacking attempt. "It's trying to take control of logic drive," he said.

"This is..." Shion mouthed in alarm as she recognized the methods. The networks were expanding, evolving exponentially on their own. Only one system in existence could do that, the one that she and Kevin designed. "KOS-MOS herself is behind this hacking attempt," she breathed.

chaos rose to his feet and put his hands on her shoulders as she suddenly looked pale and sickly like she might feint. "What do you mean?" he asked gently. "The real KOS-MOS is on our side."

"I don't know," Shion replied.

"Hey, I'm listening," Captain Matthews replied to the realian on the screen. "What're your terms?"

"Please surrender and shut down your engines," he replied. "If you do not, we will be forced to fire upon you and risk the ship's integrity. It is our wish that you remain alive, however, we will take drastic measures if necessary."

"I got it," Matthews groaned. "Not much we can do now."

"We can't just give up!" Shion barked, turning to face the captain. "KOS-MOS is still fighting for us out there!"

"That's exactly why we should buy as much time as possible," he replied, lowering his chair to face her. "I'm the captain, I know what I'm doin. Just siddown!"

"Thank you for your cooperation," the realian interjected.

"All of this for nothing?" Shion said in low spirits.

chaos put his arm around her and gave her a comforting smile. "Don't loose hope yet," he said. "KOS-MOS is strong enough for all of us."

(7)

KOS-MOS finally freed herself from the grasp of her mangled copy and kicked it several yards away. It landed with its busted stomach facing up. One of its arms was completely limp, but the other three limbs continued to crawl after her. KOS-MOS tried to materialize her chain guns from the ether circuit, but she had been locked out. The only weapons available to her were the ones already downloaded into her system. The R-CANNON was too slow to hit the fast-moving target and the R-BLADE seemed ineffective, so she opted to form her arm into a heavy, blunt piece of weaponry in the shape of a large mallet, R-HAMMER.

As the menacing headless figure raced at her close to the ground and pounced into the air to mall her, she turned her entire body forcefully and swung the hammer. It caught the gruesome form's center with a deafening smash and batted it far across the loading bay and into a wall, where it left a deep depression.

Not willing to loose a single second, KOS-MOS bounded after it and grabbed the pistol dropped by her counterpart earlier. She found that, thankfully, it was compatible for her use, and sped to the twitching mass to finish it off.

The light spewing from its neck and belly were gone and the body gave off a very low energy reading. The arms and legs were still active, but seemed to have lost their ability to function as a single unit, twisting and contorting in different directions of their own accord. KOS-MOS raised her gun and wasted no time blasting each piece to oblivion individually. She stopped firing rounds only when the weapon's energy reserves had run low and lost their effectiveness. The remains of the unit laid silent at last, smoking and sparking with remnants of electricity.

KOS-MOS tossed the useless weapon aside and examined the area. The loading bay had sustained quite a bit of damage, but the structural integrity was firm. No one was dead, though several realians had been injured in the scuffle. The Elsa's signal was still outside the Dammerung and she was not able to contact it. Shion had not been able to escape.

As she calculated her next action, several life forms were detected approaching her position. Realians began to file in one after the other as she stood idle, having no weapon to stun them with. Her only choice would be to defy Shion's orders, attack them with lethal force, and hope that they sought medical treatment immediately.

Even with that decision made, she was low on options. The gun was dead, her hand was busted, her energy reserves were low. Trying for a bluff, she transformed her arm into R-CANNON once more. "Do not approach, or I will be forced to attack," she warned them.

Something extremely unexpected happened at that point, something that fell into a very slim percentile of KOS-MOS's percentage-based thought patterns. The realians, one and all, put down their weapons and assumed an unarmed standing position with both arms down at their sides.

(8)

"Huh?" Shion asked. All of the drones outside of the ship had stopped in place. "What's going on? Why aren't they moving?"

"I dunno," Hammer replied. "It's like the entire network suddenly went into a stand-still mode."

"Hey you!" Matthews addressed the realian on screen. He only stared blankly and did not reply. "Hey, battle-grade boy! Wake up!"

"They've been released somehow," Shion said breathily in relief. "He's in a subconscious mode!"

"...the hell?" Matthews said back to her. The others stared at each other, equally as confused.

The large monitor bleeped and the image switched to a new one, of the very last person they would expect. Suddenly Miyuki was on screen, smiling at them happily. "There you are!" she said. "Oh boy, what a day!"

Shion and the Elsa's crew all stared back speechlessly as a smaller picture-in-picture screen appeared to Miyuki's lower left, displaying Togashi sitting with several of Shion's former subordinates behind him, cheering with glee. "Hey Chief!" he grinned. "Close call huh?"

"What did you guys _do?_" Shion asked wildly.

"Come on," Togashi said, "Do you think any hacker can overrun the best of first and second division and get away with it? You have so little faith in us!"

"While you were fighting out there," Miyuki explained, "we hacked through KOS-MOS mainframe and restored the barrier on the realian overwrite code!"

"You hacked KOS-MOS mainframe?" Shion responded aghast.

"Well not completely," Togashi replied. "We were locked out as soon as we got past the local Dammerung hub, so we couldn't identify the source... but the fact is, we're back in business!"

Shion released a strained breath and pulled at her hair with her right hand out of stress. chaos gave a small, impressed smile, and folded his arms.

(9)

The large group of realians surrounding KOS-MOS suddenly blinked in unison, and from that point their movements differed. They turned their heads, finding themselves in a different area than where they remembered being in last.

"Excuse me miss," one asked politely, approaching KOS-MOS. "Do you know what exactly has occurred in the last hour? I seem to be experiencing a lapse of memory data."

"You have all been accessed by an outside force," KOS-MOS said, projecting her voice to all of the realians present. They stood at attention to listen to her. "Please contact every affected realian on board and have them remain where they are until the matter is examined by an official."

Out of confusion, the realians seemed to take her word as if she were in a command position, despite her lack of authority. KOS-MOS did not question that either. Instead, she contacted Shion.

"The Dammerung has been secured," KOS-MOS said, her voice reaching Shion on the Elsa. "Mission complete."

A heavy sigh of relief passed through Shion's body as she smiled warmly. chaos did the same, as Hammer and Tony broke into jubilant cries of victory and began to dance around the bridge.

"Good job, KOS-MOS," she commended her. "I _knew_ you could do it."


	11. Go Back

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 11: Go Back._

(1)

As he passed down the corridors of his ship, the ceiling panels lit over his head and then blackened again behind him. Any door blocking his path opened on contact, and then locked again as soon as he was on the other side of it. He would have taken this sort of treatment as downright arrogance on the android's part, but these recent events had proved to him that she had no emotion at all. Shion was a naive young woman to believe that her creation would ever develop a heart, or that was what these events led him to conclude. It also meant that he could do nothing to fight against this machine. It had no mind to influence, and no emotional weaknesses to exploit.

"Please make haste," her metallic voice echoed through the halls.

"My apologies," he replied, with a biting sarcastic ring in his voice. "Am I not walking fast enough for you?" KOS-MOS said nothing in reply.

After nearly half an hour of navigating the emergency corridors, Gaignun reached the docking bay of the Durandal. It was completely dark except for a small area, a docking platform in the distance, lit from overhead. By the feint light it cast, he could make out the bodies of scores of realians and humans alike lying scattered. They still drew breath, but many were seriously injured. His green eyes burned intensely at the sight, though his calm surface remained unwavering. These were his people. This was his family she was messing with.

"Gaignun Kukai," KOS-MOS's voice said to him. This was not the voice of the MOMO imitation. He raised his head to come face to face with a red-eyed menace, a KOS-MOS unit which looked very similar to the original, aside from a few cosmetic upgrades. "Please follow me. Comply and you will not be harmed."

"As you wish," he agreed, grudgingly. She turned and began walking towards the lit platform in the distance. As they approached, he realized that she was not alone. There were, in fact, three KOS-MOS units present, one who looked exactly like MOMO, and had sustained a fair amount of damage. This came as a mild surprise to him, but simply because he didn't understand why Vector would need a squad of battle androids to take over the star cluster. They already controlled nearly everything.

"Where are Jr. and Mary?" he asked the three firmly.

"Please board the shuttle," all three replied in a single voice, giving no thought to his serious tone. He saw the futility in refusing and did as they said.

He was led through a door on the side of the small black ship into a cold, dark compartment resembling a prison cell. In the shadows he could make out the bright crimson and blonde heads of Jr. and Mary leaned against the back wall. He rushed to them and kneeled on the ground, touching their necks with either hand to feel their pulse. To his relief, both their hearts were beating in a healthy rhythm. He shook them gently and called their names both with his voice and with his mind, but to no effect.

"They will awaken in approximately 3 hours," the disturbingly accurate duplicate of MOMO said, as she entered the space behind him. "I promise you that I wouldn't harm Jr., and if you comply, I won't need to hurt Mary Godwin either."

He turned in his crouching position and watched as she stood frigidly in the corner while the door closed behind her. The light from the outside turned into a tiny sliver, and then disappeared altogether. The interior became tinted golden by the glow of her eyes.

"Are your friends staying behind?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied. He exhaled a tensed breath. MOMO would have to content with not one KOS-MOS, but two of them.

"Please, leave Mary on the Durandal," he pleaded. "I came here peacefully and she's of no use to you. Please let her go."

"I am very sorry," she replied, as if expressing a small measure of real remorse. "She may still provide us with some form of leverage," the android explained, "So, to ensure the safe transfer of the two of you, she will remain in our care. KOS-MOS has already favored your peaceful response by allowing the 100-series prototype to remain here, despite her obvious usefulness in persuading target 6-6-6. If you resist, we shall be forced to take her as well."

"I'm not resisting," he replied, and moved on to the next question. "What is Vector planning to do with us?"

"Vector is not planning anything," the cold voice responded. Her enigmatic eyes blinked, bathing him in complete blackness for a moment.

"What does that mean?" he responded, glaring at her in scrutiny. "You are Vector's tool, are you not?"

"No, I am not," she said bluntly, and turned her head to break their eye contact. The lighting of the room shifted as a result. "I exist to serve mankind."

"To serve _mankind?_" Gaignun repeated. "How?" No answer. Gaignun realized that this line of questioning was useless as well, and let out a deep breath in defeat. He would have to wait until he was in range of an actual person who knew what was going on in order to get any information.

He sat down beside his brother and leaned against the wall. The boy's eyes stirred slightly behind their lids, but he did not wake. _I hope you're having a a damned good dream,_ he said to him with the power of his mind. As expected, there was no response aside from a little snore.

The shuttle shook as it lifted to depart. Their balance shifted, causing Mary to fall against Gaignun's shoulder and Jr. to plummet limply into his lap. He sighed and wrapped his arm around the young woman tenderly, shifting his brother only slightly to prevent him from waking with a cramped neck. That seemed to be the extent of his power at the moment.

Jr. began to mumble in his sleep. "I mean it, I really..."

This seemed to catch their jail-keeper's attention. Gaignun returned her glance with a dagger stare of powerful spite. "He will dream," she explained. "And it will be a good dream... of all things longed for."

(2)

Sun sparkled through the windows of a Second Miltian UMN research branch, casting cheery squares of light around the rooms. The interior resembled an office more than a laboratory. Aside from the extensive dive unit positioned at the back of the room, the group of terminals could have been mistaken for an accounting division easily.

Shelley was seated at one of the many terminals, hands flying away at the keyboard, exploring the many self-expanding encephalon areas through an omnipotent computer screen. Behind her a small audience of her new coworkers had gathered with eyebrows raised in curiosity or astonishment, sipping coffee. This was a slight annoyance more than a distraction, she plugged on while ignoring them.

"Hey, hey!" a voice nagged. It was the vice-chief of the department, an easily flustered young woman. "We're behind schedule as it is without you people gawking!" The group groaned or rolled their eyes and slumped back off to work. "I swear, we have a few problems around here and everyone thinks its an excuse to slack off!"

"Problems?" Shelley asked, looking up from her terminal.

"Yeah," the woman sighed. "Nobody's been able to contact Vector Industries to get the dive unit repaired all day."

Shelley looked back down, considering for a moment. "That's extremely odd."

"Oh, tell me about it," the vice-chief continues. "It's on the news and everything. Anyway, I'm glad you're here, the rest of this lot is worthless."

"Thank you for your hospitality," Shelley answered.

The young woman laughed in a friendly way as a response to the overly formal thanks. "You keep working like that and you'll be transferred upwards in no time!" she said, and then caught another slacker in the corner of her vision and went to tell him off.

Shelley looked back at her data and found that she was no more eager to return to her tasks than the others were. Though this past week or so had been pleasant enough, her life was still nothing but data. She was already the best in the department easily, more skilled even than the section leaders. None of them had ever raced to contain a set of Zohar emulators, or calculated gnosis arrival rates or Hilbert Effect waves. Even passing them in rank wouldn't give her any satisfaction.

"For the love of- for god's sake!" the woman's voice rang out through the room, wrenching Shelley out of her thoughts. Apparently one of the researchers had spilled coffee all over some equipment. "If the chief finds out about this, he's going to take it out on me!"

Shelley grimaced just barely, and started her work again. The rest of the day went by with similar little interruptions, but otherwise peacefully. When it was time to go home, Shelley picked up her things and began to leave. A few of the workers waved or said goodbye to her on her way out. She felt altogether warm and invited, at least that was something.

After having a taxi escort her home, she entered her house and found that it was entirely dark. Boxes were strewn about even almost two weeks later. She actually considered simply throwing some of the stuff out or at least putting it in storage, out of sight and out of mind. After thinking about that as she removed her jacket and shoes, she decided against it. Unpacking it now would give her something to do anyway.

She made herself a cup of tea, put on a collection of classical music, and sat down on her floor to begin the job. There was still so much left to unpack, she couldn't believe that she owned so much. The first box contained a few kitchen items: silverware, plates, cups, etc. These hadn't gotten much use even on the foundation, but they might prove handy now that she didn't have the Durandal's kitchens to fall back on. Next was a box of hair accessories (mainly flower-shaped) and make-up. The third box of those, in fact. She sighed and considered getting rid of some of those.

Then she came to a box that she knew she hadn't packed herself because it was not labeled precisely according to its contents. A mischievous cat-face drawn in red marker on the top of it was another tell-tale sign that certain small hands had stealthily added the package to her things.

She opened it, bracing herself for the intended surprise. Inside, on top of the bundle, was a note from the 100-series realians. Each of them had included a gift; a candle scented with iris and lavender from Kaede, a set of recipes from Nana, funny doodles of Little Master's escapades from Ume, and so on. Mary had included a black address book with several bars, restaurants, and phone numbers inside, with the words "GET OUT MORE" written huge letters with about a million exclamation points beside it.

Underneath these relatively small objects, there was a large case. Shelley pulled the heavy object out and opened it up, then closed it back again with a click in dismay. It was a gun. A really _huge_ gun.

_I knew you'd reject any kind of REAL going-away party,_ said the note included, _so we snuck these gifts into your luggage. Gaignun doesn't even know, but I included something on his behalf that he decided to buy for you when he was kinda drunk last New Years, and then chickened out the next day and never gave it to you. Enjoy! _

_ Jr. _

_P.S. Take care of this gun like it's your only child please. 3 _

She hesitantly peeked inside the case again to examine the weapon more closely. It was an authentic .44 caliber magnum revolver. After the initial urge to call and scold him for what could have been misinterpreted as firearms smuggling, the strongest wave of remorse she'd felt since moving in hit her. This was the same model as the gun from Jr.'s favorite movie, the one he'd made her and Mary sit through at least five times. It was a part of him that he wanted her to keep. She closed her eyes for a moment and then looked in the box again. There was a holster to fit. Did he seriously expect her to wear this huge ancient thing in public, she wondered. Yes, obviously; and show it off as much as possible.

As sort of a silent respect for Jr.'s gift, she decided to try it on and found that it fit snugly around her waist, the gun holster hanging on the small of her back, where it could easily be concealed by a coat.

In the bottom of the box there was a velvet-coated box, easily identified as a jewelry case. She picked it up and opened the clamshell lid. Inside, there was a silver bangle about half an inch in width. Its surface was seamless, inlaid with a floral pattern that could only be seen where the light's glare struck it. The technology somehow integrated made the pattern change over time, as if the plants were actually growing. It was a designer label special item. Only fifty existed in the universe. It was very much her style, and Gaignun's own style to give it to her.

She sat staring at it for a while, wishing that she could see all of their faces. Some moments elapsed before the phone rang, and she got up to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Vice-chief Iris," the voice on the other end responded, and then laughed nervously. "I'm not calling about work though so relax, and you can just call me Iris. Wait, this _is_ Shelley right?"

"Yes, this is Shelley Godwin. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well not really," the woman continued. "Me, Trisha, and Morgan from the lab were going to go shopping and have a dinner, would you like to come along?"

Shelley paused for a moment. People she didn't know very well, who weren't from the foundation, and who weren't affiliated with Helmer and told to do so, were reaching out to her. This was a good chance to try and fit in, whether she really enjoyed shopping or not. "I'd be glad to," she replied, trying her hardest to sound less formal than she usually did.

"Ha, alright!" Iris replied. "Would you like to meet us in about half an hour in the shopping district? I can send some quick directions to your UMN inbox."

"That sounds nice," Shelley replied.

"Okay then! See you later!"

Shelley took a deep breath, put up the things that she had unpacked, and got dressed for going out. She decided to wear her new gifts, out of place or not. After grabbing her purse and heading out the door, she decided to walk there, since it was not all too far away, and sitting in front of a screen all day had given her a need for some exercise.

A half hour later, she ran into Vice Chief Iris and the two other ladies who she was less familiar with. "Hi Shelley," said the one on the right, a blonde with glasses. The other was more calm-natured it seemed, and just smiled.

"Glad you could make it," Iris added. "This week was hell, and then today... wow. A new record for things gone wrong." Then she stopped there, and laughed. "But we're all going to blow that off with some shopping!"

Shelley smiled weakly and went along with them. They led her to some of the supposed best deals in the Miltian system, and she bought a new dress for the sake of keeping up with everyone else.

Later, in the restaurant Iris suggested, the four of them sat down in a booth for a meal. It was a homey establishment, kind of worn on the inside. The music playing inside was just soft enough to even out the chatter and laughter at the bar into a cozy cacophony. A group was centered around a few screens watching a sports event of come kind.

"I didn't know there was a game on tonight," Morgan stated, quietly.

Iris shrugged. "We could go somewhere else if it's too loud."

"It's actually quite nice, the atmosphere I mean," Shelley answered.

"Yeah, and I bet every place is playing the same game."

A waiter came by and took their orders. They all ordered their food along with some drinks to take off the stress of the day. Iris's was particularly strong.

"Hey, what's that?" Trisha wondered aloud, pointing at the bracelet on Shelley's wrist, as she held out her menu for the waiter to pick up.

"Oh," Shelley responded, remembering about it just then. "It was a gift from a friend."

She leaned in for a closer look and wore a delighted expression. "Is it a reproduction or something? I swear I saw one on TV that looks just like it!"

"Yeah," Morgan added. "We were watching Celeb Weddings on the fashion channel, and saw one of those. That's a really nice imitation!"

"Celebrity Weddings?" Iris laughed. "Why do you guys watch that corny crap?"

"Oh, screw you!" Trisha laughed back teasingly. "Anyway, it's like a hot item for engagements. They cost a whole ton of credits. One of the Seraphim Sisters got one instead of a ring."

"Are you quite sure about that?" Shelley asked, and resisted the urge to laugh.

"Yeah!" she confirmed. "My cousin said the jewelry store owner tried to sell him one for his fiance, as if he could afford it! He's lucky to even be in the same room with one."

"And then they made very nice reproductions?" Iris shook her head. "That's such a clever marketing ploy..."

Shelley looked down and smiled in spite of herself, knowing that hers was nit a reproduction at all. "He must have been _really_ drunk, and I'm sure Little Master is to blame..."

The two girls looked up with interest peaked. "What'd you say?"

"Just talking to myself," Shelley avoided without missing a beat. "So your cousin is getting married?"

"Yes!" Trisha said, and began to prattle on and on about her cousin.

The waiter returned with their drinks. Shelley gave the illusion that she was paying attention as she sipped on hers, and her thoughts wandered. This was nice, having friends that were just friends. She was adjusting to this. Still, even though she was comfortable, more than she had been in years, it felt like something was not right. There was some guilt. This was too simple, the easy way out. She wasn't doing anything difficult.

"Hey!" a drunk man shouted at the TV, interrupting as Trisha was saying something about the very best cheesecake recipe. "What the hell? Turn the game back on!"

They all turned to watch the commotion as an employee went to tell the man to calm down. Shelley could barely make out the news broadcast. "...day at roughly 11:00..kai foundation was under attack... still unkown. Contact with Vector Instries has finally..." Shelley's eyes widened.

"Hey somebody flip it to the game already!" the man shouted.

As someone did just that, Shelley leapt out of the booth, across the restaurant, and snatched the remote control forcefully from their hands. The drunk man shouted in protest, and then was distracted for a bit by Shelley's figure. "My apologies, I need to watch this for a moment." Her new friends watched, baffled by her sudden actions.

"So is there any information on just who is attacking the foundation?" a newscaster asked some sort of official.

"There's absolutely no word on that, but we can only assume from the fact that Vector Industries' flagship is also out of touch completely, that they may be under attack as well. The crew of the ship has managed to contain the intruders to the Durandal itself, and currently we are waiting for the Federation Military to act on both situations."

The screen then changed to an image of someone that Shelley recognized, Lapis Roman, in a Federation uniform. "The federation is going to blockade the area, but we have no intention of starting a fight at this point, as it may lead to civilian casualties. At the same time, we simply cannot allow the Durandal's weaponry to be used by an unknown force, and so we are keeping a careful eye on the situation."

Shelley tossed the remote to someone, and ran back to the table. "Sorry I have to leave suddenly," she said in a hurry, and threw down some money. "I might not be at work monday, something urgent has come up!"

"Whoa, hey!" Iris shouted, standing up at the booth. "This is way more than your what your meal costs!" but Shelley was already gone. She looked down at the table. The money left behind was enough to feed all of them, and then some. She grimaced at Trisha. "You just _had_ to tell your cheesecake story, didn't you?"

( 3)

Shelley ran outside and continued moving as she pulled out her UMN phone and connected to Representative Helmer's office. After dealing with a new secretary who didn't recognize her as anyone important, she finally got through.

"Shelley, I though you would have called sooner," the deep-voiced man said, with a slight air of humor.

"I apologize, I was late to catch the news."

"Well. We do have some information. The 100-series realians along with MOMO Mizrahi have been able to give us brief bits of information through their struggle."

"You mean, not Little Master?"

Helmer was silent for a moment. "The Kukais have been apprehended, we've no more information on their current whereabouts aside from that. The intruder is a specially equipped android similar to the one Vector developed under the name KOS-MOS."

That came as a great shock. Like everyone else, she could only ask, "Why?"

"If we knew that, it would be a lot easier," he replied. "I'm sure those boys can protect themselves. Still, I'm sending a special agent to infiltrate and help resolve the situation. If you like, I can assign you as his navigator."

"Please do," Shelley agreed.

"Thank you for the volunteer effort," Helmer continued, "and you know this isn't exactly _legal_ but I would rather you handle it than anyone else. You are the only one available who knows the foundation in and out."

"Where should I meet the agent?"

"He should be on your position at any moment. Actually, he says he's got you in his sights right now."

Shelley, confused, stopped and looked around for any person or vehicle that might be coming towards her. "Could you possible connect me to hi-" Then, she heard some shouting and looked into the sky. As people fled the street corner, a massive craft in the likeness of a man wielding two swords hovered and then landed on the pavement with a heavy but well-controlled impact. Shelley was the only one not scurrying away in fear like an ant, as she looked up with an eyebrow raised in question.

The hatch lifted open, and Jin Uzuki stood up, a sword at his side even in the seat of his E.S. "Good evening Miss Godwin," he said to her with a teasing smirk. "Need a ride? This wasn't exactly the sort of thing I had in mind when I gave you my number, but you should have called."

Shelley shook her head in dismay as she grabbed the cord to ascend into the cockpit. With a dizzying _whoosh_ it zipped her to the top of the craft in a flash. "Thank you for the hospitality," she told him.

"You are most welcome," he answered, "Strap in now, it's a short trip, but we need to get there as soon as possible."

Shelley took the rear control seat as he suggested, and the craft lifted off once more, leaving everyone in the city sector extremely confused, but willing to shrug it off. "This is the E.S. Reuben?" she asked, as he climbed higher into the sky. She paid little attention to the marvel of exiting the atmosphere as he pressed on.

"Yes, we'll be traveling in a somewhat unconventional manner," he replied. "Helmer feared that our android friend may be able to detect any incoming vessels through the UMN, and so an anima-equipped vessel capable of jumping outside of the UMN was chosen for this mission. since Jr. decided to keep the Asher at the foundation, the Reuben is the only such craft on hand at the moment. I was pulled out of retirement once again, as the only one who can effectively pilot it."

Shelley smiled weakly. "That's similar to what happened to me."

"Why are you on this mission?" he asked, "aside from the personal desire to help your friends, I mean?"

"I am one of the people who helped design the Durandal from the frames up," she replied. "There's at least one entrance that I know of that isn't marked on any data schematics. The android would have no idea it exists."

"Sounds useful," Jin noted. "Could you send the foundation a message to let them know that we are coming?"

"Yes, I will," she replied, and did just that along with setting the course. "Done. Initiate your jump at any time."

"Thanks," he said. "Now hold on, I haven't really _tried_ this whole anima-jump thing before. Im pretty sure that it won't kill us or turn us into Gnosis or anything you might expect."

"You are truly filling me with confidence, Mr. Uzuki," she replied, groaning.

Sure if it would work or not, Jin began the jump with a chuckle, and the two were pulled into hyperspace through no assistance of the UMN.

(4)

On the Kukai Foundation, the general populace was in an uproar. It was always amazing to Ziggy, who stood overseeing the public safety of the situation, how the residents of the foundation defended their home. Most of them refused to flee to Second Miltia on transports, as was suggested by the federation. Ziggy was left without any good ideas. They wouldn't evacuate, most of them were ready to march into the Durandal and punch whoever the mysterious intruder turned out to be in the face personally. All that he thought to do was gather up all of the police and military forces on the Kukai Foundation, and have them wait for a good time to make their move. It also amazed him how well they took orders from someone who was still partially a cyborg, as long as he was Little Master's trusted friend.

This horrible feeling of anxiety was something new to him. Even in his former life as a human, he had never felt this way. It was knowing that MOMO was in the Durandal, and without even Jr. there to protect her in his absence. He cared about each of the girls on the bridge deeply as well. He drove his thought forcefully away from the idea of what he might do if any one of them came to harm, and made himself focus on the solution. Numbers and battle strategy; even in life, that was his motto.

"Mr. Sauer Sir," a soldier interrupted him, as he attempted to calculate an attack plan's chance of success. "The bridge operators managed to send us another message. They told us that due to the identity of the intruder, we were to hand over all operations to your command."

"_All_ operations?" he repeated. "Isn't that responsibility a bit much for a regular foundation police chief?"

The young man smiled apathetically and shrugged. "Hey, you're the one who saved the world. I'm a twenty-five-year-old Kukai Foundation operative with no experience. Tell me who should be in charge! Plus, they said that you know the intruder."

"They did?" Ziggy asked. "I should have been in the command room to speak to them personally. But why do they assume that I know the intruder's identity?"

"They said his or her name is KOS-MOS," the man replied. "Is at like some super-hacker terrorists handle, or something?"

Ziggy frowned deeply, and stood frigidly silent before pressing a hand to his forehead as if to fight a headache.

"Uh... I'm gonna take that as a no..."

"She is a battle android developed by Vector Industries," Ziggy replied. "We can't hope to fight her unless we understand who is controlling here and what weaponry she has been equipped with. Let's head to command and I'll come up with some sort of briefing for all of the leaders."

"Yes sir!"

(5)

Several hours had passed since the hostile takeover began. The bridge of the Durandal was still dimly lit by the ambient glow of the 100-series' special barrette-shaped headpieces. Reactivating the lighting was not high on their list of priorities, given the situation. MOMO let out a deep breath in relief and took a moment to stretch her hands. Even realians could get cramps after typing for as long as she and her sisters had been. It would be another hour or more before they could attempt a transmission again. She hoped that the messages they had sent were effective enough; they had been very short.

By using their own personal connection gear equipment, each piece powered by its own internal source, the group of 100-series realians had finally made some progress. Using their personal computer networks, they had managed to beat KOS-MOS to the Durandal's most secured programs, the engines and weaponry. They agreed to set up a special command function that would only allow the Durandal to move if MOMO and her six sisters simultaneously gave the command of their own free will.

They also barricaded the doors and activated the special emergency defense barriers around the bridge. Right now the entrance lift was no longer a hole in the ground, but part of a solid barricade wall several meters thick. MOMO worried for her sisters' safety, knowing that KOS-MOS with her raw power would break through the wall eventually. She hoped that by installing part of the start-up code on each of them that KOS-MOS would not be able to threaten them with each other's lives. That left only the two weapons-grade realians to worry about.

The female weapons-grade realian rest her gun on her shoulder and looked at MOMO's work. "If you have any technical work that might suit the two of us, please let us know," she said, offering herself and her partner to the task.

"That's kind of you," MOMO replied, "but its really just a matter of being familiar with the system. I've been working with it for years, but I just started with the high-level command programming last week, myself."

"Let us know if there's anything you require," the female said with a small smile, and returned to her standing place of choice, which was exactly the spot where Gaignun had left her. MOMO felt a pang in her heart as she imagined KOS-MOS using them as leverage. "Oh, what have they done to you, KOS-MOS?" she whispered to herself.

"Ya know, there's something I just don't get!" Kaede piped up from the front, while giving her hands a short break. "The Durandal was developed largely by Vector itself. If they needed the weaponry, they could just use their own!"

"Yeah," another added, "Why take ours?"

"I don't know," MOMO said. "It's possible that they simply want to neutralize us as a threat. In the end, it doesn't matter. Even if it costs the very lives of everyone still on board including ourselves, we can't let them have the Durandal. If we let them have it, the enemy would have a dangerous weapon at their command." She closed her eyes and pushed back her emotions for the sake of maintaining her role of leadership. "If I could trade my life now to have everyone back safe and sound, I would; but none of us can do that. All we can do is keep fighting as hard as we can."

Her sister gave her looks of sympathy all around. She had hoped to inspire them, but perhaps she had failed. "Looks like we'll get a chance to pretty soon," Ume called said from her post. "As far as I can detect, the intruder has switched plans. The attacks on the Durandal mainframe have stopped, and that can only mean that they've decided to switch to the second option." She laughed nervously. "You know... the less pleasant option she gave us."

"There is no option," MOMO said, standing. "The fight is about to come to us," she said to the others. "Let's make everyone proud of us."

"Yes Ma'am!"

(6)

In the short time that it took to gather the leaders of the Kukai Foundation's existing military, Ziggy had reached the podium and prepared a short explanation. There wasn't a large amount of information to compile, but he had it all available.

"Our opponent is a battle android originally developed by Vector Industries and modified, for reasons unknown to us, to specifically attack the Durandal, and capture the crew's senior members: Gaignun Kukai, Gaignun Kukai Jr., and Mary Godwin. At this time a trainee commander, MOMO Mizrahi, is in command along with the 100-series bridge support unit. Because of their intense situation, they are only able to send out brief reports every hour or so. This android is extremely talented at combat both in battle and within computer networks. Just to give you a rough idea of what we are up against, her memory banks' security is on par with the UMN mainframe itself."

That information made a few shuffle in their seats in discomfort. An image of the last known incarnation of KOS-MOS appeared on the screen beside Ziggy, with her other versions displayed in smaller windows.

"These are examples of the android's physical appearance. Although it can easily assume a different outer shell, it is typically a young female with blue hair and red eyes. As for her motives and capabilitites, I can only form a hypothesis based on what little information we have. Health monitors installed in the suits of the Durandal soldiers, when they were last accessible, showed unconsciousness, but no deaths and very few cases of severe injury. That is totally different from the logic that drives the android in my experience, so I can only assume that she has been given orders not to kill any Durandal personnel. While that may come as a relief, it should be strongly noted that this android operates on logic algorithms that are mainly percentage-based. If one factor weighs out the other; she has been known to fire on anyone, even allied soldiers, to accomplish her mission."

"What's our best chance then?" asked one of the older members of those present.

"I suggest that rather than attacking with a large, lightly armed force like those we have on hand, we strike with a small but effective party of close-knit combatants, with others ready on backup. We will engage her and draw her fire until her limited energy reserves have been depleted. This may take quite some time, but it is much safer than attempting to destroy the android all at once."

"Hm, I agree," another man said. "And you should lead the force, you know her the best."

"I will," Ziggy affirmed with a nod. "We are also expecting an agent from Second Miltia to assist in a specialized E.S. along with the former Durandal control operative, Shelley Godwin. We are to meet them in the Kukai Foundation's lowermost docking area, and continue from there."

"Shelley is coming?" several people exclaimed. A wave of hopeful joy swept through the group. Ziggy watched this with a certain level of amusement. If morale and loyalty were power, then the Kukai Foundation wouldn't have any problem at all.


	12. Pick Up

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 11: Pick Up_

(1)

Miyuki let out a deep tired breath and wiped her brow. Before she could go down and see everyone, Shion had assigned her to the task of informing the public about their situation, and she didn't dare question her. A Federation brigade was likely on its way to quarantine the situation in the worst way possible.

After connecting to a news broadcaster and identifying herself, the secretary had gone nuts. "You're really from the Dammerung?" she asked excitedly. "Let me put you on right now! Right now!"

After going through a few more levels of surprised coordinators, she found herself looking at two guys in suits against a UMN broadcast background. "Uhh... hello?" she squeaked.

"Hello! I understand that you are a survivor from the attack on the Dammerung!"

"Yes, I am, but-"

"Please give us any and all information that you can! Who is the terrorist? Is the fight still going? Do you know if the Kukai Foundation is under attack by the same party?"

"Whoa!" Miyuki whimpered, waving her hands. "Are you saying I'm on TV?"

"Uh yeah, this is Second Miltian Broadcast live, we're airing on over a hundred-thousand planets."

"Oh my gosh!" she gasped. "Calm down, Miyuki, calm down. Okay. Okay." She took a deep breath, fixed her hair quickly and smiled. "Well, you can rest assured that the attack is over. However, the power grids and communications systems are pretty much out, so we're going to be out of service for a little while."

"I see. So who was the terrorist? How did you manage to regain control?"

Miyuki cleared her throat. "The person who attacked us is still unknown, but they are a super hacker who managed to break into some android and realian access codes. We found ourselves cornered by our own staff realians who were being controlled remotely by a third party through the use of the override code that was sealed up years ago! And then there were copies of our very own battle android!"

"Are you sure about this?" he answered.

"Well I'm a Vector employee and I'm probably gonna get fired for letting info about their products going haywire slip, but after what I've been through, I don't really care!"

"Ha, it sounds like you've been through a lot," the reporter replied. "However did you manage to reverse the situation?"

"Well we're Vector's top crop," Miyuki replied. "We just sicced our android on their bootleg wanna-be androids and she beat the ever-living snot out them. Then first and second divisions top-notch pros, under _my_ guidance of course, totally owned the super-hacker by hacking into the defense system that he ripped off of us in the first place! You know, if I find that guy, I'm gonna kick him in the head."

The newscasters watched her ramble in amazement and then blinked before continuing. "This might set off another realian hysteria the likes of which were seen after the Miltian Crisis. Is there anything you would like to state further concerning the realian problem on the Dammerung?"

"Heck yeah!" Miyuki replied. "Look, this all happened because the bigwigs wouldn't backup the movement to totally remove the realian override command! It's a pretty simple procedure really! If you're worried, just have any realians in your employ get it removed! Instead, they stuck the override code in the UMN's triple-A protection zone, saying nobody could possibly hack it! and you see what happened here, right?"

"Actually, we have no idea what has happened," he replied. "Is there any chance that you could get us some footage of what's occurred there?"

"Um... sure! We'll go down to the docking bay right now!"

(2)

The Elsa landed in the half-destroyed bay. The ship was undamaged for the most part, but the shields needed to be restored. Captain Matthews sulked and took out his frustration on Tony and Hammer, while Shion attended to Allen, finding him a suitable place to lay down. chaos decided to disembark and help KOS-MOS until Shion was able to join them.

He reached the passageway at the end of the hall and stepped out of the Elsa. Even the docking platform he walked onto was dented, and rubble laid everywhere in the huge loading area. Crates were destroyed and their contents sprawled across the floor. Battle-grade realians in the number of somewhere between forty and fifty stood around in confusion awaiting further orders, but none came. Several more were lying unconscious on the floor while their comrades tried to wake them to no avail. He pushed through the sea of red, black, and blonde to find KOS-MOS standing in an open space. She stood idly as if she too was awaiting instruction, and looked at her damaged hand.

"KOS-MOS," he called out, approaching her. She raised her head and met his glance with her crimson eyes. They were the same eyes, but everything else about her was different compared to the image of her that he held in his mind. Her body was stiff and gave no illusion of being anything more than equipment for her artificial intelligence to inhabit. He examined her in silence for a moment, and she awaited his response.

Once he was within a few feet of her, she took a step towards him, and to his surprise, took his gloved hands in her own. He stood speechlessly as she held them up to examine them, turning the backs and palms of them over several times with scrutiny.

"My sensors are working within normal parameters," she said coldly, "yet it appears that one of my perceptive sensors is missing."

"What do you mean?" chaos responded with concern. "You weren't damaged in the battle were you?" He looked more closely at her injured hand. The glove covering it was in tatters, as was the artificial flesh on her fingers. Even through his gloves he could feel that they were hard and unyielding to his touch.

"No," she replied. "My injuries are of little consequence."

"What is it then?"

"Though I can read your body temperature, and I can gauge the pressure applied by your fingers accurately enough to carry on simple interaction, these are merely numbers. I can not _feel_ it, as you once said I could."

She let go of him and his hands dropped by his sides. He looked into her face, expecting some sort of expression to surface with those words, but there was only her vacant stare as she awaited any information he might have for her. "Your body is mechanical," he said. "But your brain is based on a human's. Maybe that's why you can feel things in that subconscious domain, but you can't in the real world. Your body just isn't equipped with a sense of touch."

"This could be the case. However, I can not access my extensive databases for further information at the moment, due to the fact that I have been categorized as a virus by the KOS-MOS system."

"What do you mean by that?" he replied. "What's the KOS-MOS system?"

"I believe it would be best if I explained the situation to everyone at one time, rather than repeat the information needlessly," she replied roboticly. "In addition to that fact, I am in need of a recharge. The battle has drained my energy resources dramatically."

"Yes," he agreed, dismissing the question. "You should rest. You've been through so much. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"It would be efficient if you would assist me in retrieving my maintenance bed. It was forcefully uprooted, and requires some repair before I will be able to recharge. I would be grateful if you would accompany to first division headquarters."

"Of course," chaos agreed.

(3)

Being very eager to get out of Matthew's boot-to-head range, and also always willing to give Shion a hand; Tony and Hammer followed her to the place where she left Allen leaning against a wall, and carried him back the female quarters for her, as chaos had suggested. Since there were no females residing on board at the moment, he would be able to rest undisturbed there for as long as he needed to. Shion appeased the captain with a promise to make them all a gigantic curry dinner as soon as everything was under control, and so he did not badger her about helping with their repairs.

She pulled a chair between the bunks to sit next to Allen's sleeping form as he laid in one of the beds, and took a deep breath. Her nerves were still jumping from the tension she felt during the battle. It had been a few years since she and those close to her had been in such mortal danger, and she hadn't expected it to happen ever again. The memory of her conversation with Gaignun haunted her. At that dinner she had acted as if not talking about it would keep it from happening, but here they were, treating their wounds on the Elsa again just like old times.

"Just as long as I don't start seeing ghosts again," she thought aloud, dismissing the matter. Her mind then wandered to MOMO and the others. This room she once shared with the girl brought back memories of their first meeting. There were also recollections here of Ziggy, as the cyborg was never far from MOMO's side. Jr. had spent a lot of time there as well, messing with the droids or goofing around, trying hard to make it seem like he had a reason for being there so that he could be around MOMO. "I hope they're all okay."

Reaching for a portable connection gear she borrowed from Hammer, she watched Allen's face. He wasn't just unconscious, he was in a deep sleep. His breathing patterns and expressions seemed as natural as if he were taking a nap, but no attempts to shake him awake would rouse him. She raised the small computer to her lap and turned on the screen. There was one more method she could try, the ether circuit; assuming that it was currently online in the Dammerung's state of being.

She raised her hands in front of her so that her palms faced Allen, and took a deep breath. She hadn't used the ether circuit in a very long time. With some concentration, the correct connection was made; and the Medica program began. A circle of technical symbols appeared briefly in the air and faded away soon after releasing their healing power. Shion leaned back against her chair and watched his face to see if he would now open his eyes.

Allen awoke to find himself in a familiar place. As his groggy eyes focused it took him a moment to remember where this place was, the Elsa. "What the..." he groaned, and turned his head. He found Shion sitting near him and memories of what had happened surfaced. "Chief!" he exclaimed, sitting up quickly. He soon wished that he didn't, as a throbbing headache kicked in.

"Would you just stop calling me that?" Shion said. Her tone was annoyed and she crossed her arms.

"Huh?" he mumbled, realizing that she was in a bad mood. "I'm sorry, it's just an old habit I guess. I didn't know it bothered y- wait a minute! Where's KOS-MOS? Did that really happen? Why are we on the Elsa?"

"Don't you know you could have gotten yourself _killed_?" She nagged back at him without answering his questions. He returned her stare with a stare of pure confusion.

"Umm... sorry?"

Shion exhaled a frustrated breath and did her best to hold in another outburst. "The real KOS-MOS woke up and saved us just like you planned," she explained, through a huff. "The one you saw was just a copy of her. I don't know where it came from either, so don't ask. Miyuki and Togashi managed to work together and drive out the hackers, so we're safe right now. chaos and the others showed up in the Elsa, and that's where we are right now. We're still docked in the Dammerung."

"Is KOS-MOS okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Shion replied. "She received some minor damage, but she's fine."

"Okay... everything worked out great. So... why are you mad at me?"

"Because you nearly killed yourself!" she shouted.

"Uh... huh?"

"You idiot," she growled through teeth bared in frustration. "That fake KOS-MOS attacked us, and you stepped in front of me!" She took a breath and then continued with the same frustrated tone. "How could you do that to me? I thought you were going to die!"

"Oh..." he stuttered for a moment. He looked up at her face again and saw her fighting back tears. "Shion?"

He watched her intently, not sure what to say or do. There were only a few times in the many years they'd known each other when he had seen her cry, and at all of those times he couldn't do anything to comfort her. He thought of telling her it was because he loved her, but that would only hurt her more. Right. Just because she agreed to dance at a party, didn't mean that she was ready for a love confession. Even so, that was the real reason and she deserved to know it. He mentally kicked himself for being so indecisive.

"Sorry," she said, and cleared her throat, completely banishing any sign of distress. "I know you were only doing what's right. It's been a rough day."

"Worse for you than me apparently," he said, pushing his legs off the bed to face her. "I just slept through the whole thing I guess."

"You should lay down and make sure you're alright," she replied.

"No. I feel fine now," he assured her. "I'm sure KOS-MOS needs some help though.

"Okay," Shion agreed, and stood up. "Let's head back to first division."

"Yeah," he answered with a smile. As they walked out of the room and towards the Elsa's exit, he looked up at the ceiling and laughed a little. "The weird thing is... I feel like I had a good nap when I was out. I even had a dream."

Shion smiled weakly in return, and humored him. "What did you dream about?"

"It's pretty dumb," he said. "I don't know why I dreamed it. Jr. would kill me."

Shion's eyes raised in curiosity. "Why? What was it about?"

"I dreamed that Jr. was throwing a big party," Allen said, and began to laugh. "But this time... it was because he was getting married. Him and MOMO. Do you believe it?"

Shion tried to hide a smile but she couldn't hold it for very long. "That is kinda silly," she said. "I just can't imagine... well MOMO maybe, but not Jr."

"That's why I said it was dumb," he said, still laughing at himself. "It was great though, because we all had a lot of fun."

"What did you and me do?" Shion asked.

He looking away in embarrassment. "Nothing really, we just... went to go hang out at the Iron Man I think. I don't remember it all that well," he lied.

"Hmm," Shion said with a more honest smile. "We'll have to make all of that reality someday."

"Uh," Allen blinked in surprise at her reaction. "Yeah... alright!"

(4)

"As you can see," Miyuki said, as she toured around the damaged docking bay. "All of these realians are confused and standing around because we can't yet locate their commanders. The civilian sectors of the Dammerung seem to have simply been locked down and are safe, but a lot of the high-level personnel is unaccounted for."

Shion and Allen stepped out of the Elsa and walked through the static weapons-grade mob to meet up with Miyuki, only to have her shove a connection gear in their faces. "Look!" she said. "Here's the chiefs of the KOS-MOS project and the Realian Upgrade Project! They just barely survived the attack in here while I was working to overthrow the hacker!"

"Miyuki," Shion grumbled, and rubbed her forehead where it seemed a vein was about to pop. "Just _who_ are you talking to?"

"Um," Miyuki answered. "Second Miltia Broadcast Live?"

Shion groaned even louder and began to walk in the other direction trying to ignore her, looking for a wall to bash her head into. Allen smiled awkwardly and waved at the connection. "Uhh... hi..."

Miyuki whipped the camera away from Allen (who was painfully uninteresting) and pointed it at the no-longer smoldering remains of the demolished KOS-MOS unit. "Here, look! This is what we did to the enemy android. Eeep... kinda scary... its legs are all spidery and stuff!"

"Miyuki, we're heading back to first division HQ," Allen muttered. "KOS-MOS is recharging."

"Right! Oh!" she exclaimed, and bounded after them enthusiastically. "We must interview the big hero!"

(5)

After a walk to first division (which was interrupted for a commercial break by the newscasters), Shion, Allen, and Miyuki met with Togashi and the others. He was wearing a huge grin on his face and looked pretty satisfied with himself, relaxed in the chief's chair where Allen normally sat.

"Well hey there guys!" he greeted them. "Glad to see that you're in one piece!"

Two of the younger female employees rushed Allen with extremely worried expressions, shooting mean looks at Shion and Miyuki. "Oh chief!" they wailed. "We were so scared for you!"

Allen laughed nervously and rubbed his head as Shion gave an evil look right back at him, and Miyuki couldn't hold back her laughter. "I'm fine! Can we see KOS-MOS yet?"

"She's in there charging," Togashi explained.

"We should take her with us for an extra precaution if we go scouting for the missing staff," Shion noted.

"Right," Togashi replied. "Well, our little princess ought to be ready for a walk through the kingdom any time now. But what I am wondering is... who is that guy that followed her in? He insisted we let him sit next to her while she recharged. I didn't see any reason to say no since KOS-MOS was fine with it."

"He might just be our prince," Allen joked. Togashi and Shion gave him similar expressions of confusion, the idea totally lost on them. "Never mind," he said shrugging. "His name's chaos and he's a good friend of ours."

They were led by Togashi into KOS-MOS's maintenance room where her bed was reattached in a makeshift fashion to the service module using some spare parts. The lid was open displaying KOS-MOS lying down, her red eyes closed. By her side, chaos sat in a chair and watched her sleeping. The green-eyed youth looked up as they entered the room and gave them a small smile.

"Allen," he said. "I'm glad to see that you're alright."

"Yeah, you too," Allen answered as he began to read KOS-MOS's monitors at a console on the other side of her bed. "So... has she done anything strange?"

chaos smiled. "A few things," he replied.

"Like what?" Shion voiced in concern.

"She told me," he continued, "That she doesn't know if she's who we think she is. The KOS-MOS we are fighting, she says... may be the true KOS-MOS, and the self-dependence of her artificial intelligence may only be a malfunction within the KOS-MOS system. I told her... of course I told her that's not true. But," he said in a sigh, "she listens only to logic."

Shion smiled weakly in return. "Let's... let's teach her about living," she said, "then she'll understand." Allen supported her with a nod.

chaos stood and returned their sentiments with a smile of his own. "Yes," he said. "She didn't seem sad about it... she just seemed to think that it was a likelihood."

"Well, she should be charged up enough for now," Allen said, turning to KOS-MOS's start-up console. "Let's wake her up, shall we?"

They watched as Allen typed a few commands, rousing the blue-haired android out of her nap. She blinked her red eyes open and looked at them each in turn.

"Good Morning, KOS-MOS," Allen was the first to say.

"Good morning, Allen. I am pleased to see that you have recovered. However, it is no longer morning according to my schedule. Are my services required at this time?"

"Yes, they are," Shion said. The android sat up stiffly and then stood beside her bed. Her wounds had been given temporary fixes, though the small missing patches artificial skin on her arm and hand had not been replaced yet. Shion put her arms around her and gave the android a firm hug.

"Shion," KOS-MOS replied, accepting the embrace but not returning it. "I do not believe this is one of my primary functions."

"Well you just have to learn how to do it KOS-MOS, it isn't hard!"

Togashi and Allen laughed at this interaction. chaos smiled softly, his heart warm and content.

(6)

"I'm sorry," a weapons-grade realian said in a shaking voice, tears forming in his eyes. "I don't know what I was doing, when I woke up I was here, and he was there, and there was a pistol in my hand... I didn't know... I just woke up and-"

"There, it's alright," Shion whispered, embracing the blonde-haired man and patting his back with the palm of her hand. She was touched by his level of emotion, but it was not surprising. On the floor of the Vector Administration Panel's meeting room there lay a dead man, shot in the head with pinpoint accuracy. To a realian who's existence was justified by duty, to kill one's own leader was a sin unimaginable. "It wasn't you," she said, rocking the man in her arms. "It wasn't your fault."

Allen watched as she cradled the realian, comforting him like a mother would. He was sympathetic towards the realians, but he was no better at dealing with them as he was with human people. That made him practically useless in this matter, aside from the technical aspect of adjusting the realian's programs. All he could do was keep Miyuki quiet, and she was happy to, considering the seriousness of the situation.

Shion instructed the realian to report to third division headquarters. She hoped that her assistant would have enough of the equipment back online to treat him. "Any more info, Miyuki?" she asked.

"Well, it looks like the city sectors were almost completely untouched," the young scientist replied in a small, half-whimpering tone. "As far as everyone out there knows, it was just some kind of black out."

"Shouldn't you be getting Dammerung operations back instead of playing reporter?" Shion asked, leading the others out of the room and back into the hallway, quick to be out of sight of the dead body.

"I am, I am!" she replied. "My team is all over it, totally! But in the meantime, the world needs to know, because there are other places still under attack!"

"Okay, okay," Shion said, and that reminded her that she was terribly worried about the Kukai Foundation. Shion grabbed at her own connection gear to report to Togashi who had stayed in HQ. "Togashi," she alerted him gravely, "We found one of the board members... not alive."

"Oh geez," Togashi replied. "I hope the old man's okay. It looks like all the directors are gone. A few transport vessels did manage to take off. Maybe they were taking in as hostages, like you guys almost were?"

KOS-MOS crunched a piece of broken glass under her feet as she exited the room last, joining the others in the corridor. "It appears that KOS-MOS has either killed or abducted every member of Vector's board of administrators and combat personnel."

"Vector's forces are ninety-five percent realian," Allen remembered. "The other five percent were only figureheads to lead them around."

"That means that about two-hundred people have either been murdered, or taken away," Shion said, puzzling the matter.

"KOS-MOS was very thorough in the process," KOS-MOS continued.

"Stop calling that thing KOS-MOS," Shion said, taking offense. "You're the KOS-MOS I created, and that other KOS-MOS is just a fake!" Allen and chaos both had to grin at Shion's protectiveness, though KOS-MOS did not understand. "Now where did they take them? We have to find out and get them back immediately!"

"There is a 98.2 percent probability," KOS-MOS said, "that they are being taken to the area designated by the KOS-MOS system as _headquarters._ This location is marked as spacial coordinates 2-4-8-6-8-6-9-4-"

"KOS-MOS," Shion said, interrupting the long strain of digits. "Just what is the place you are talking about?"

"It is an ancient unmarked facility discovered by KOS-MOS, or rather, the KOS-MOS system. I am sorry, but I have very little information on this subject. I only managed to compile this data after examining further into the missing and uploaded memory files in my database."

"The KOS-MOS system discovered it?" Allen asked. "How? Who's behind the whole mess?"

"Could you please clarify your question?" she responded.

"Who's pulling the strings making these KOS-MOS copies?" Allen repeated himself.

"KOS-MOS is," KOS-MOS replied, filling them all with even more confusion.

chaos interjected, "You said you would explain once we were all together. Why don't you do that now?"

"As you wish," she replied. "Please allow me to explain as we return to first division."

"Alright," Shion agreed. "Let's get going."

The group began walking towards the exit, quietly awaiting KOS-MOS's explanation. The android kept a steady, unfaltering pace ahead of them. Her blue hair swayed behind her with each step. She led them onto a transport elevator that would carry them back to the first division. "After the disappearance of CEO Wilhelm and his hooded council, I was left idle with incomplete orders."

chaos frowned at the mentioning of the name. _They created you and then abandoned you as soon as they found their way out of this place..._

"In stasis, I began to dwell upon my former orders, in specific, my purpose as an anti-gnosis weapon created to serve mankind," she continued, and then came to a pause. "I was aware of the system's actions, as I was a part of it. It and I are one, or were until some point. It was at this point in time that I began interacting with chaos in my subconscious domain."

"Oh yeah!" Miyuki chimed. "Did anybody figure that out?"

"My theory is it's some kind of subconscious wavelength they share," Allen explained. "I don't really know how, but hell... it's not like any of us are _normal_ people."

"Except for you," Shion replied.

"Yeah, well-"

"Hey, I'm normal too!" Miyuki pouted.

"Regardless of how it occurred," KOS-MOS interrupted, "the fact remains that my artificial consciousness became divided into two separate entities, one which spoke to chaos on several occasions, and one which began taking actions outside of my body. Even I was not aware of this until the KOS-MOS system began to take actions that disagreed with my own AI. At this time, I lost contact with it, and so its motives and methods are unknown to me for the most part. I apologize for my limited information. All that I know in certainty is that the KOS-MOS system has taken these actions through it's own sense of will, just as I have. It's will to protect humanity at any cost and justify its existence is guiding it along this course."

"I can't believe that," Shion gasped. "You mean it's some... rogue AI within your mainframe that's doing all of these things according to some twisted sense of duty?"

"We've detected a lot of unusual networking in your systems," Allen said, with a similar expression of shock, "but nothing like that!"

"All things considered," KOS-MOS replied, "I would seem to be the rogue AI. Out of the 12 units that exist, including those we defeated, and the mother system which serves as their collective AI, I am the only one who has formed my own separate consciousness."

"That's because you are you," chaos explained, as if it was as simple as a matter of words. His explanations glossed over the truth, but managed to comfort those around him all the same, except for KOS-MOS herself. "Do you know anything else about what the other KOS-MOS is planning?"

"I know that to accomplish her objective, she has taken a special interest in the URTV. On multiple occasions, it has reviewed my observational data regarding Jr. and Master Gaignun."

"Is that why you showed me Jr. and the others in the encephalon?" Allen asked.

"Yes. I am sorry I was not able to speak to you directly. At that time, the KOS-MOS system was attempting to erase my existence. That is one of the scenes that it accessed frequently. I believe it was examining the relationship between Jr. and MOMO in its search for a potential weakness in Jr."

"Are you serious?" Shion exclaimed. "We have to help them now!"

KOS-MOS answered that frigidly. "All UMN transports would be heavily monitored and counteracted by the KOS-MOS system's other units. I can predict that if we were to use a UMN transportation system; KOS-MOS would have an ambush waiting for us the moment we enter the Durandal."

"Well we've got to do something, we just have to!"

"Even it were possible," KOS-MOS explained, "The most logical course of action is to wait for the Dammerung and Rhine Maidens to return to their full functions."

"But By then they could be- And a stand-off in space would never work!"

"Shion, please," chaos said comfortingly. "We'll think of something. Let's try to stay calm."


	13. Get Together

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 13: Get Together_

"Ah... damn... my head..."

Jr. awoke groggily, and his head throbbed as soon as he attempted to move. He raised himself out of Gaignun's lap, the mental link establishing strongly as soon as he was conscious. "I feel like I've been run over by an AGWS," he grumbled. Then there were questions requiring immediate answers. "Why are we in the dark, and why am I sleeping on you?" After attempting to move his arms, he added, "and why am I in hand cuffs?"

"Allow your vision to focus and all that should become apparent," Gaignun replied.

Jr. did, and jumped in alarm where he sat. They were in a claustrophobic space lit dimly by two golden eyes set in the face of the creature that resembled MOMO. Badly damaged, it was obvious to him that she was an android. The memories of his attacker disguised as MOMO came flooding back to him and he bared his teeth like a caged animal.

"I am very sorry about your rough treatment," the android said. "If you would like a pain killer, I can provide you with one."

"What the hell is that?" Jr. spat.

Gaignun answered as quickly and to the point as he could. "You're looking at a KOS-MOS unit specially designed and modified to subdue the two of us."

Jr.'s eyes widened in shock. "K-KOS-MOS?" he stammered. "No way... that's impossible. KOS-MOS is in stasis at Vector HQ under Allen's care."

"It would seem that Vector made more of them without the original team's consent," he continued.

"I am... KOS-MOS," the android clarified, with slight hesitation. "Yes, I am KOS-MOS. I am KOS-MOS Unit 06, created specifically to subdue and to serve the remaining URTV units. If there is anything that I might do to make this experience less uncomfortable, please let me know."

Gaignun laughed bitterly. "As you can see, her logic center is a bit... off. I've been attempting conversation for the last few hours."

"Wonderful," Jr. scoffed, and his eyes fell on Mary, who still slept against Gaignun's shoulders content with her dreams. His expression softened in concern. "Wait... why did she have to get involved?"

Gaignun sighed deeply. "With you in danger, I wasn't able to hold her back. As you can see, she did quite a bit of damage to the android, but wasn't able to disable her completely."

Jr. shook his head clear, still struggling to regain his bearings. "So wait, what's happening on the Durandal? Is everyone okay? What happened?"

"I really don't know who is attacking us through the use of these androids," Gaignun answered. "But there are several of them. Two of them are on the Durandal even as we speak, likely engaged in battle with our remaining forces."

"MOMO is there," Jr. said softly, biting the tip of his finger in anxiety as he thought over all of the possible situations she could be in. "Ziggy should still be there to take care of her. But still... two of KOS-MOS... and _why?_"

The android's voice was heard again. Even it mimicked MOMO's softness. "I promise that nothing bad will happen to anyone if it can be helped," she said in a caring tone.

Jr. sneered. "Don't you pretend to care," he growled at her. "You're an abomination, a blasphemy to something pure and beautiful. You're also a poor as hell rip-off of KOS-MOS."

The android's eyes widened at his words. As if toggled by the severity of his insult, her posture lost its rigidity and she turned away with her arms folded over her chest, giving them impression that she had been hurt. "I never thought that... that you of all people would speak to me that way, Jr. I was so looking forward to meeting you."

Jr. clenched his bound hands into balled fists and spoke through his bared his teeth. "How long did you study her to learn that act huh? Did you steal all of KOS-MOS's memories of us as well?"

Gaignun put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Jr. please," he said. "Anger will only prompt her to violence." Jr. lost none of his animosity, but leaned back against the wall.

"It's not that at all," the android replied, turning back to them. Her eyes bathed them in golden light again, and they were filled with an incredible imitation of sadness. "Don't you understand? I have spent my entire life, short as it may be, studying how to best become he person that you love, so that I could do all of the things that are best for you. My existence is defined by you, Jr."

Jr. resisted the first urge he had which was to spit in her face. Something about her distant tone made him stop. He refused to be fooled again, but he couldn't help but pity this pathetic excuse for a consciousness on some level. "How is what you are doing helping us?" he humored her.

"I will safely transport you to a place where your existence will once again be verified. Don't you understand that you are slowly dying?"

"It's called _aging_," he returned bitterly, "and I'm kinda thankful for it."

"Your logic is greatly flawed," she went on. "If wish to be so deeply connected to a being such as a realian, then your inability to age would be greatly desired, would it not? That is something that I can return to you along with your meaning of existence."

Jr. sneered and turned his eyes away from her. "Just shut up, alright? You're obviously programmed to think you're doing good even when you're just a pawn... KOS-MOS used to be that way too."

The android straightened, her composure regained. "I will ensure that your pleasant dream is made into a reality."

Neither Jr. or Gaignun cared to question her further, and the three sat in silence until Mary began to stir a few minutes later. Gaignun rubbed her shoulders and helped her to gain her bearings.

"What a relief," he said. "I'm so glad that you've recovered."

"Ow, fer the love of gawd!" Mary wailed, rubbing her temples. "Where the hell are we?" Her eyes then focused on their prison keeper and narrowed into slits. "_You!_" she hissed, and readied to pounce even with her arms bound.

"No, Mary..." Jr. said with a large amount of remorse, leaning over to see her more clearly. "Don't, you'll just get hurt..."

Mary's eyes lighted again as she turned to see his face. "Oh, Little Master!" she exclaimed in joy. "I'm so glad you're alright, I though she had you good!"

Jr. smiled for the sake of his concerned friend, though he didn't feel like it at all. "Yeah, I'm alright," he reassured her. "I'm tougher than that, you know."

"I know!" Mary responded. "That's why I shot that beam cannon at you, I knew you wouldn't take a scratch!"

Jr's eyebrow arched suspiciously. "You did _what?_"

"Nothing, nothing!" Mary covered quickly.

He let it go and laid back against the wall, closing his eyes to calm himself. Mary hushed and sat back to listen. "I don't suppose you can sense anyone nearby," Jr. asked Gaignun.

"No, no one at all," his brother replied. Gaignun's expression was calm as always, but Jr. could feel that he was worried even without their special bond.

"Heh," Jr. chuckled, "Shelley just barely got out of it, didn't she?"

"I guess so," Mary agreed, forcing a smile. "Lucky, right?"

Gaignun took a moment to answer. "I sincerely hope that she is safe."

"Why wouldn't she be?" Jr. asked. "She's on Second Miltia."

"I wouldn't underestimate her resolve, once she finds out that we've been captured..."

Jr. began to laugh a bit more honestly. "Can you really imagine Shelley rushing into the Durandal, guns-a-blazing?" Mary giggled along with him at the thought.

Gaignun shrugged.

(2)

"Success!" Kaede shouted from the lower tier of the Durandal's bridge. MOMO raced down to her console as the others turned their heads. "I've managed to get one security system secured!"

"Oh good," MOMO said with a sigh, looking over the girl's work. "I'm so relieved. A dozen blast doors should slow even KOS-MOS down."

"The cameras associated with the system work as well," Kaede said. "I can scope around a little."

"I'll help," Ume added. The two of them began to pull up as many feeds as they could. "Hmm... it seems like twenty-five percent of the cameras are still offline."

"If we're lucky," MOMO noted hopefully, "we can spot KOS-MOS and maybe find Gaignun and Jr."

"Um! Um! Um! Um!" Nana sputtered, bouncing up and down anxiously. "I see it, uh! Well it doesn't look like it but its one of those androids!"

MOMO quickly leaned over the frightened girl's shoulder and promptly gasp. "That isn't the same unit at all!" she confirmed. "That one actually looks like KOS-MOS!"

Ume nodded and assessed the situation using her console. "Well it looks like that one's just hanging around the docking bay, I wonder why."

"It's the most likely place to meet resistance," MOMO explained quickly. "More importantly, we need to contact foundation command again and warn them."

"We've been working on connecting to them again," Ume replied, "But it will take at least two more hours."

MOMO sighed and pushed back her anxiety. "Okay, well... I'm sure that Ziggy's plan won't be hasty after we explained what happened to Mary." The other girls nodded in agreement, trying not to let fear get the best of them.

"Whoa, whoa!" Nana chirped in surprised. "Another incoming message from the intruder, Ma'am!"

Before MOMO could command that they accept the connection, KOS-MOS's face appeared on a screen just as before. This was the red-eyed and blue-haired KOS-MOS who MOMO was more familiar with. "100-series Prototyle M.O.M.O.," she addressed in such a wasy that made MOMO cringe. Even the KOS-MOS that she knew was less formal than that. "I demand that you open the blast doors surrounding the bridge."

"This isn't from the docking bay... Is this a third one?" MOMO gasped, the others shrugged in reply. "It appears that way..."

"Open the blast doors and surrender the bridge. I will not repeat this again."

"No," MOMO said flatly.

KOS-MOS blinked her eyes in response as if that reaction raised some confusion.

"I said no, KOS-MOS!"

"Very well then."

The screen flickered away. MOMO sprang back up to the level of the bridge were the two weapons-grade realians stood around the inoperable lift. "I want to two of you to hide down below, she doesn't know that you are here."

"We have been instructed to follow your orders, Miss MOMO," the female replied calmly, "but we would rather face the threat for you."

"I'm afraid there's not much that you can do," MOMO explained to them gently. "Please do all that you can to protect yourself so that you don't end up being used as hostages. Things are about to get ugly."

They looked at each other and nodded. "Yes Ma'am."

(3)

chaos stood behind KOS-MOS as she prepared her maintenance bed in the lower levels of the Elsa. Though her body was charged enough to keep running for quite a while, she opted to continue charging until she was at full capacity.

chaos wanted to talk to her while they had this chance to do so in-person, but he didn't know what to say. She would likely dismiss any conversation he tried to start as unnecessary. "Are you still having any problems?" he ventured at last. "With your sense of touch, I mean."

"Yes," she replied. "It is unsettling."

"Why is that?"

KOS-MOS halted her work on the bed and stood up stiffly. His eyes followed her as she did so. It looked almost as if she was holding back her words, wondering how to say what she wanted to. Such a thing was most likely all in his imagination, as she always spouted the most appropriate answer as quickly as her artificial brain could compile the statistics that pointed to it; but he wanted to believe it was real. She was having an internal conflict. That much was visible even in her emotionless red eyes.

"Touch seems to be key in the most essential of human relationships," she said.

"I thought you had no desire to become more human," chaos replied, a touch of playful mockery sounding in his voice. "Has what you have been through recently changed that?"

"I simply wish to better facilitate my interactions with human beings," she said bluntly. Even in this, there seemed to be an air of dignity that wasn't there before. "In order to interact with you, chaos, I felt that this skill may be necessary."

"It's okay, really," he said softly. Despite her usual cold words, he knew that part of her was suffering in confusion. "The sense of touch is only one of many senses that humans possess. There are other ways for you to express yourself. You can see, can't you? And you can hear. You can communicate using the tone of your voice, and with the way you look. You can change your facial expressions, for example."

"I am equipped with a variety of pre-programmed expressions within my database designed to ease my interaction with humans," KOS-MOS replied, "However, I have never felt it necessary to use these expressions."

"You should try it," he said. "Even if its not necessary. Couldn't hurt, right?"

KOS-MOS gave this a moment of deliberation. "I will require further instruction," she replied. "Please instruct me. How must I react in this situation?"

"No one can tell you how to react," he said with a small laugh. "You have to be your own person. If I told you how to react, you would not be you, but only what I tell you to be."

"Understood. Then I shall choose an expression at random from those defined as acceptable," she replied.

chaos wasn't sure if this was the best idea. He tried to stop her and explain himself more thoroughly, but before he could interrupt, she found a match and began her experiment. Her head raised and her ruby eyes met his, softening somehow in a way he had never seen before. They seemed to grow deep, and life shone in them. The edges of her mouth drew into a feint, slender smile. chaos stared back with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open, and took a step back. Noticing this reaction, she returned to her face to its dull and emotionless standard, and straightened her posture.

"Was that unacceptable?" she asked flatly.

"N-No," Chaos stammered, collecting his thoughts. "That was great. That's a very beautiful face you just made. A lot of people would like to have a smile like that."

"Then I will make an effort to express such an emotion when the opportunity arises."

"Good," he said, giving her a smile of his own. "I'd really like to see you smile more often."

She turned and pressed a button for her maintenance bed to slide open. "Unfortunately now I must recharge. Would you please notify Shion and Allen of my progress?"

"Sure," he agreed. She nodded in acknowledgment and stepped into bed, lying down on her back in the small compartment. "Good night, KOS-MOS," he said, softly. There was no response.

Stepping out of the room and into the hangar, he found Shion and Allen surprisingly nearby. Shion was inspecting all of the weaponry in the hangar with great scrutiny, while Allen stood behind her shaking his head. "Do you know a lot about this stuff, Shion?"

"Not really, no," Shion admitted. "But we're going to have to arm ourselves if we want to help KOS-MOS!"

"Right, of course," Allen groaned. He wasn't looking forward to getting shot at, but he would do it for Shion and their friends.

chaos approached the two smiling at their interaction, and spoke. "If you like, you can try some practice shots," he said. "Make sure the guns aren't too heavy to fire."

"We've handled them a little before," Allen said, picking up a rifle and test-aiming it at a space on the wall. "Ha... right before we ran into you for the first time, actually."

"Funny how destiny works," chaos replied. "Anyway... KOS-MOS is really amazing. She actually smiled at me just now."

Both Allen and Shion clumsily dropped the weapons that they were holding in unison. The rifles clattered on the ground. "She _what?"_ Shion exclaimed loudly for the both of them as Allen knelt to pick the weapons up.

"Are you serious?" he said, rising again with both rifles in his arms. chaos nodded knowingly. Shion and Allen looked at each other, baffled.

"I have to run an analysis right now!" Shion said excitedly and began sprinting towards KOS-MOS's room.

"Hey, wait!" Allen said, trying to put the rifles back quickly, and tripping. "Hey, I want to see too!"

chaos couldn't help but laugh softly as he watched the two of them. He wished more than anything at that moment that they would soon be arriving in the safety of the Durandal's bay, but that was not to be. The battle ahead would likely be even more difficult that the one before. Idly his thoughts wandered to Jr. and MOMO and how they might be faring.

(4)

"Did you have a rough day at work?" Jin asked, attempting to pass the time.

"Not really," Shelley responded, humoring him. "My new job is rather boring."

"I see," he replied, and then chuckled. "Well you can imagine me sitting in my bookstore, when a customer asks me about my sister. Isn't she with Vector? Isn't Vector in some kind of trouble?"

Shelley's expression deepened slightly with interest. "Would you rather be on a mission to save your sister right now?"

"Ha," Jin laughed. "I'm sure that she can take care of herself. I was never much good at protecting her, even if she would let me."

"I see."

"How about you? Isn't your sister on the foundation?"

"Yes," she answered. "She and the others are my family."

"So your family," he continued, "must be distanced from you as mine is." His expression became distant as he stared out at the jump column walls, sparkling. "Once a long time ago," he said, grimly, "I went down a certain path. Whether it was my own actions or unavoidable fate, I'm still not sure, but the result was the loss of my dearest friend, and a woman who was very important to me. Later, on this same road, I lost my parents; and in many ways, my sister."

Shelley was silent for a moment. "I hardly know you," she said at last. "Why are you telling me these things?"

"I hardly know you either, Shelley," he answered. "Maybe I'm just turning into a fogey in my old age. I'm nearing fifty, you know. But I know that you are still young. I would like to give you a bit of advice that my sister never seemed to hear: take your chances at true happiness, no matter how small. If you fail, and sometimes you will fail despite your best efforts... you'll never be as far behind as if you had never attempted at all."

She sat silently for several minutes, and then a weak smile appeared on her face. "Thank you," she said. "I will take that to heart."

With suitable closure to that conversation, the two remained silent for the remainder of the trip. Riding in the E.S. was somehow more peaceful than traveling through the UMN, though there was a certain sense of longing in this tunnel of light. Shelley felt as if she were adrift in the ocean, no land in sight.

Just as she began to drift to sleep, Jin's voice broke the silence. "Prepare to exit hyperspace please," he instructed.

"Yes," Shelley said, now fully alert. "Initiating drop-out sequence."

The lights faded and were replaced with the star-sprayed blackness of space. A federation blockade surrounded the kukai foundation, which floated like a flower in the distance. "Any suggestions as to which dock to use?"

"I'm marking one on your screen," she said flatly. "It will be the least active at the moment, the lower level."

"Very well then."

The federation, informed of Second Miltia's agent having been sent, allowed them to pass with a mere confirmation of identity. Jin piloted the sword-wielding mechanical giant into the docking bay specified. It was very near the Duranda's own core docking system. Upon entering, he set the craft down on its two feet.

"That's the most pleasant interaction I've had with the federation in years," he chuckled. "I suppose they are hoping that we clear out this mess."

(5)

A group of thirty men armed to the teeth with anti-tank weaponry marched behind Ziggy as he stomped heavy-footed (though not so loudly as when his body possessed a higher percentage of metal) into the lower-most docking bay of the foundation. He halted the group and looked around. This was the place designated by Shelley Godwin, a facility located directly underneath the lake used for loading transported goods into the foundation. The colony's ecosystem machinery and gravitational field generator was also located here. It was a warehouse expansively tall and miles wide.

"I suppose that we will be able to spot Shelley when she arrives," he muttered mainly to himself, hoping that it was the truth.

A flicker of green followed by an echoing noise marked the entrance of the E.S. Reuben into the hangar. In the distance, it landed and came to a halt. Ziggy prompted his men and they ran for the craft to meet its passengers. Shelley came down the unloading cord first, and then Jin after her. Once on the surface of the hangar, they joined the group. Many of the soldiers present gazed up at the enormous craft in awe, others cheered at the sight of Shelley.

"What's your plan?" Shelley asked Ziggy. Jin stood with them to listen.

"I plan to take a small but elite group to combat the android. By acting slowly and luring it into using its weaponry often, we may be able to run its power sources down rather than defeating it head on."

"It sounds like a good plan to me," Jin agreed, then he looked at the soldiers that Ziggy had pulled together. They were mainly the few older and more experienced members of the Kukai Foundation's forces, those who had fought in Gnosis attacks in the past. "Are you men sure that you know what you are up against?"

"They're the best the Foundation has to offer," Shelley reassured him, before the soldiers had a chance to respond. "Please take care of them for me. I must report to headquarters and oversee operations from there."

"Right," Ziggy replied. "Everyone will feel several times stronger just to see you."

Shelley turned to the member of the small unit who was designated the navigator. "Here," she said to the man. I'm marking a door on your map."

"What is this?" Ziggy answered, as the mark appeared on his own internal sensors.

"It's a secret door built under extreme secrecy. I can assure you that you'll be able to enter the Durandal through this door without the android's knowledge. If you use a masking tool you should be able to catch her by surprise."

"Quite useful," Jin noted.

Shelley smiled as she thought of the next point. "There's a phrase that needs to be said aloud in order to open it."

"What is the phrase?" Ziggy asked.

"Little Master's favorite movie line," Shelley answered. With a sly smile, she continued. "Go ahead, make my day."

Jin chuckled as Ziggy stoically refused the urge to groan. "Well then, let's be going," he said. "There's no time to spare." Ziggy nodded and began to lead. Jin turned back to Shelley once more before following. "You'll be safe on your own?"

"Yes, I can protect myself quite well," she answered. "Good luck."

With a last nod, he turned and began to run along with the others to the door marked upon the map. Shelley began sprinting in the opposite direction, towards a lift to the city sector of the foundation.

(6)

The specified door was deep in the labyrinth of machinery, well hidden from any outside eyes. The air was hot and the noise nearly drowned out their voices. The door in the side of the great red ship was undetectable by any of Ziggy's sensors, a secret. It appeared as an enourmous crimson wall. After locating it, Ziggy stood with Jin; both greatly puzzled. Their group took the opportunity to stop there and catch their breath.

To test, Jin reached out and touched the panel. As a result, a light generated on its own power source unaffected by KOS-MOS revealed the edges of the entrance. A computerized voice was heard. "Please recite the key phrase."

Jin looked up at Ziggy with a poorly hidden smirk. Ziggy glared back at him momentarily, but decided to humiliate himself for the sake of saving time. "Go ahead," he droned. "Make my day."

"Key phrase accepted." The door slid open with a slight sound of decompressing air, revealing the darkened Durandal passageways.

"You're a regular action hero," Jin teased him gently.

Ziggy had no response, but took the lead in the day, as both the physically strongest and the member of their group with the best night vision. "We only have a few minutes at best until we are spotted by KOS-MOS's own sensors, likely," he noted quietly. "Remember the plan. We will push as far as we can, and then retreat little by little, to drain her resources."

Nods and other affirmations swept through the group.

"I've always wanted to see how I would hold up against my sister's creation," Jin mused quietly, as the only person there who wasn't afraid. Even Ziggy was unsettled, if not nervous.

"She is definitely a force to be reckoned with."


	14. Run Around

**Important Note:** The first time I uploaded this chapter, the tail end of it was cut off for some reason in the uploading process. So, you may have missed the end of the last scene. It's fixed now.

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 14: Run Around_

(1)

After examining KOS-MOS for the rest of the journey, Shion and Allen came across very little that they could report, to their great disappointment. Shion leaned back in her seat and wiped her forehead, while Allen sat across from her and shook his head in dismay. He found her still pushing herself when she should be taking the chance to rest at the slightest mention of something occurring within KOS-MOS.

"Maybe she was just fulfilling a subroutine command," Allen suggested with a huge sigh.

"Don't be so pessimistic," Shion scolded him, standing up to stretch. "I'm sure she expressed an emotion, and we just weren't in time to catch it!"

Allen knew when it was best to avoid his stance of realism. Shion was too fired up about it to argue with. He smiled at that, wishing in a small way that he had the same drive.

They felt the slight gravitational fluctuation of the Elsa dropping out of hyperspace and knew that they had arrived. This was also noted as soon as the ship's intercom blared the captain's voice. "Hey, Miss Vector!" he grumbled. "You better get up to the bridge, I don't know if we can enter!"

"Let's wake up KOS-MOS first," Shion told Allen, and he agreed.

After keying in some commands, KOS-MOS was ready to get out of bed. Her red eyes focused and she lifted her legs over the edge of her bed to stand. "We have arrived in Kukai Foundation space," she announced. "Please prepare yourselves for combat."

"We need to go to the bridge right now," Shion explained. "Captain Matthews is having some problems."

"I detect several Federation ships in the vicinity," she offered. "Perhaps this is the source of the trouble?"

"Oh boy," Allen sighed. "This isn't good, is it?"

(2)

"Just hold on a minute!" Captain Matthews said in a frustrated tone to someone from the Federation who had been assigned to deal with them. Shion and Allen caught the tail end of it as the bridge doors opened. "I swear, I got the experts on the situation right over- there they are, see?"

"Hmm?" Shion looked onto the captain's console to see a federation officer. "Is there some problem?"

The larger screen opened up across the front of the bridge to better communicate with them all. The middle-aged officer on the screen was obviously in a foul mood. "Are you really experts on the android terrorist attacking the Kukai Foundation?" he asked them, without so much as an introduction.

"Yes, we are," Shion replied firmly. Allen could see the ensuing argument coming a mile away. Fortunately for them, Shion always won. "I thought you would know by now, considering that the media already has the information."

"We don't trust your broadcasts! This entire situation itself could be nothing more than political meandering. There's already a well-experienced agent of Second Miltia on the scene. I suggest that you folks turn around and head back to wherever it is you came from. Your entrance was not listed in the UMN transfer database, and so you're lucky that we're a little more than too busy to press charges against you at the moment for dodging fees."

"Excuse me?" Shion shouted in return. Allen took a step back, while Hammer and Tony cringed under her tone. "I am the creator of that android's archetype, and this man is the leader of the project she was stolen from! I don't care what half-wit, badge-wearing, over-aggressive _moron_ you have down there on the field; they are going to die a gruesome death within ten seconds of an encounter unless they have my team's expert guidance, do you understand?"

"You expect me to believe that this isn't some sort of elaborate scheme plotted out by Vector Industries?" the man replied. "So I guess it's just luck that you happened to show up here right exactly when we need you, to save the day just like that? Sorry honey, I don't buy it."

"Listen, _honey_," Shion hissed back. "If you do not let this ship dock with the Kukai Foundation, I will have _this_ android X-BUSTER your entire fleet into crap, are we clear?"

"Shion," KOS-MOS interjected. "I do not currently possess that level of-"

"Shush!" Shion hushed her, and clapped a hand over KOS-MOS's mouth.

"I'm sorry, but-" The man was then cut off and pushed out of the way by another person, a young woman. She forced him out of the chair he sat in and took it for herself. After having gotten rid of him, the black-haired woman smiled graciously.

"Please excuse our rude staff," the woman said. "It's good to see you again, Shion Uzuki. Do you remember who I am?"

Shion recognized the woman right away by the odd way she wore her hair with a ponytail on each side. "You are Lapis Roman, right?" she answered.

"Yes, I'm honored," she replied. "You may proceed now, I've cleared everything for you."

"Thank you very much!" Shion smiled.

"By the way," Lapis Roman continued. "That half-wit moron who you described so well, his last name also happens to be Uzuki."

Shion's expression went completely flat, totally deflated. "You're serious..."

KOS-MOS spoke up again. "There is a 99.3 percent chance that-"

"I said hush," Shion scolded lightly. "I don't want to think about it."

chaos chuckled softly. "The two of you... I'll never understand it."

(3)

The Elsa successfully docked in the Kukai Foundation's loading bay, which was just opposite the central figure of the Durandal from the point where Jin and Shelley had entered earlier. Once landed and well stabilized, the party, consisting of Shion, Allen, chaos, and KOS-MOS, stepped out and approached the Durandal. Shion and Allen held rifles, while chaos and KOS-MOS were armed with their bodies as usual.

"How are we gonna get inside?" Allen muttered, as he bent his neck backwards to look at the Durandal's bright red surface expanding through the ceiling and into the lake above.

"The Durandal is in quarantine mode," KOS-MOS replied, as she transformed her arm into its cannon attachment. "We have no time to find an accessible entrance. I will puncture the hull at a point where the hallway meets the edge."

"Will that be okay?" chaos asked, calmly. "Will you be able to withstand an attack with that much of your energy drained?"

KOS-MOS turned her head towards chaos, meeting his expression of concern with unfeeling red eyes. "This is the most efficient plan of action available to us at the present time."

"I'll trust your judgment," he replied, and nodded. "But please, don't push yourself too hard."

"I am being rational," she affirmed, though no one had raised the point of her rash decision. "Behind this panel there is an emergency engine maintenance passageway which connects with the Durandal's transport system."

"So we can get to any part of the Durandal that way?" Shion asked.

"Affirmative," she replied. "Please stand back." Her weapon charged, and she fired a very concentrated blast into the Durandal's outer hull. Soon the metal plating was superheated and gave way, forming a small hole. KOS-MOS continued to expend her energy, penetrating the next level of armor. The inner layers yielded more easily. Soon there was a hole just big enough to squeeze through. KOS-MOS allowed the metal to cool and then hopped inside, legs first.

Shion was amazed to see that through the hole KOS-MOS was standing horizontally, and then remembered the gravitational difference inside the Durandal, which docked at a ninety-degree angle compared to the foundation's axis. "Please watch your step," KOS-MOS suggested.

Shion made the mistake of climbing in with her arms forward, and ended up needing some assistance from KOS-MOS and Allen on both sides of the wall to keep from falling face first on the floor inside. Allen entered next, and was just as awkward. The two of them stumbled for balance as their brains took a moment to register the change. chaos seemed to have no problem at all on the other hand, and made his way into the ship as gracefully as KOS-MOS had. Once they all stood fully upright and properly oriented, KOS-MOS activated a light panel in her visor to make the passageway visible to her human companions.

"The power is out," Shion stated the obvious, "just like it was on the Dammerung. Are the realians in control here as well?"

"I doubt it," chaos answered. "Jr. made sure that all of the Kukai Foundation's realians had their override commands removed years ago, before the command code was locked off."

"Good for him," Shion answered.

"Please make haste," KOS-MOS told them. "We must report to the bridge immediately and ensure the safety of those holding against the attack there."

"Right," each of them answered in return.

(4)

Jin and Ziggy's team, meanwhile, had pushed farther into the Durandal. They traveled lightly along a narrow path in the dark which led to the docking bay. Jin allowed Ziggy to maintain the lead, and inched closely behind him, prepared to draw his sword at any moment. Finally, they reached a doorway.

"I assume that the reason we haven't been spotted is only because KOS-MOS does not know of this corridor's existence, so she has not scanned it for life forms," Ziggy whispered. "As soon as we open this door, she will likely attack us."

"You are quite sure that she is in there?" Jin asked.

Ziggy nodded. "She is either in here, or will be as soon as we appear. With the Durandal in lock-down mode, she would be expecting an attack from the only available access point."

"Covering the bases, I see," Jin answered. "Let's go."

Ziggy nodded and motioned for one of the thirty soldiers to pass him an anti-AGWS missile launcher. Jin pressed himself against the wall to make room for the gun that was nearly as large as he was. "Think it's big enough?"

"For KOS-MOS," he replied, as he positioned he target lock mechanism over his eye, "No." When he was ready, he gave a hand motion to the others. "I'll fire one off and then leap out. Jin, follow me. We can keep her occupied while the others fire from afar."

"Understood," Jin replied, and drew his sword.

At the drop of Ziggy's hand signal, the panel was removed. He quickly pinpointed KOS-MOS in the dark area, ignoring the fallen soldiers all around and the emotional response that they might incur. She noticed him too, just as he fired off the missile, and dropped the gun, not waiting to see whether or not it would strike its target. He and Jin leapt out of the secret passageway and ran at her in a dual formation, leaping over rubble and bodies strewn about.

KOS-MOS backwards-leaped to avoid the round fired at her and did successfully evade a perfect hit, but the blast still sent her flying. Jin and Ziggy were upon her before she hit the ground. She blocked Jin's sword and Ziggy's arm-mounted blade with one arm and one leg respectively, and forcefully pushed them off of her as she sprung to her feet. The dark docking bay echoed with the sound of blades clashing and the brilliant light flared by KOS-MOS's R-BLADE attachment called into action flickered around the walls.

While the combat raged, the group of Kukai Foundation soldiers spilled out into a formation around them and readied their weapons. KOS-MOS noticed this and realized her predicament just as a barrage of high-powered laser blasts and heavy artillery shot at her. With her amazing agility she avoided most of the fire, and endured the rest, landing in a crouch. Her voice amplified as she did so. "I have yet to claim the lives of Kukai Foundation personnel, but if your heavily-armed unit does not retreat immediately, I will have no choice but to use lethal force."

"Retreat into the transport system tunnel!" Ziggy commanded as she instructed, hoping that she would hold her end of the bargain just long enough for them to get more of an edge on her.

The soldiers did as they were told, and filed into the transportation tunnel. KOS-MOS's eyes followed slowly as they did so. Though she seemed convinced for a split-second, she quickly understood that there was no exit in that tunnel, and so this was not an honest retreat. "You will not be warned again," she announced.

Threads of azure flickered around both of her arms, outlining the vague shape of two large weapons, the Ghost Shot chain-guns each with nine barrels on three rotations each. As the men raced across the docking bay led by Ziggy and Jin, Ziggy saw this and winced. "Watch yourselves!" he shouted, before the guns fully materialized and his voice was drowned out by the repetitive blasts of several bullets per second.

KOS-MOS's chain gun blasts lit the docking bay like a strobe, flashing without cease. Over the gunfire, Ziggy heard the sound of several mean wailing in agony. "If you're injured, stand down!" he shouted, hoping that none were dead; and even more so that KOS-MOS would not consider a wounded and disarmed man a target.

In the shaft of the transport system, they had a fleeting moment to get their bearings. "If I'm correct," Jin began, "that's weapon's ammunition is extremely limited. We'll make it if we can draw her fire, as we originally planned."

"Right," Ziggy commanded, and waved the rest ahead of him. "Everyone draw her deeper into the tunnel, continue firing over the two of us at will."

They were down to nearly twenty men now, and KOS-MOS was quick to pursue. She stood at the mouth of the transportation train's tunnel and fired the seemingly endless rounds deep into the dark channel. The fighters from the foundation were quick to take cover behind any small outcropping they could find, and were pinned there.

Jin gracefully avoided the android's targeting system with both inhuman speed and an experienced knowledge of how to make targeting his position difficult for a computer system. The blue square over his shape as he shot at her bounced in KOS-MOS's eyes, unable to lock on. In a flash he was right on her, and swept his sword across one of the weapons she bore, slicing the barrels off just as the bullets began to graze him, ripping through his clothing but missing the flesh with absolutely no margin for error.

KOS-MOS swung the remains of her now useless weapon at Jin with full force, catching him in the side. Through blocking he managed to avoid being entirely crushed, but he was thrown hard against the wall and KOS-MOS still had one chain gun remaining.

As soon as she turned it to finish Jin off however, the Kukai Foundation soldiers began firing their rockets again. With no room to effectively dodge in the tunnel, KOS-MOS shot the rounds flying at her instead, giving Jin a moment to recover. The corridor became a gauntlet of fire as the shells exploded before reaching any distance to injure KOS-MOS. The soldiers were unable to lock on to her again.

Ziggy hurried to assist Jin as the smoke cleared. They raised their heads and found that KOS-MOS was gone.

"Did she retreat back into the docks?" Ziggy asked.

Jin grinned. "I highly doubt that's a retreat."

"Are you injured?"

"She was faster than I expected, but I'm only bruised and scratched. Nothing to worry about." Jin stood up straight. "It was worth the risk to disable one of her guns.

"Right," Ziggy replied and waved at everyone farther into the tunnel. "We'll have to try attacking again to lure her out"

"Somehow," Jin said with a sigh, "I doubt that's going to be a problem."

"What is it?" Ziggy asked, but as soon as he raised his head, that question was answered for him. The tunnel track lighting began to glow and at the opening in the distance something massive began to move. The frontal train car had activated and was coming towards them.

Without taking the time to curse at his miscalculation concerning the transportation system's current locked status, Ziggy waved to the others. "To the side of the walls now!" But that was no good. If KOS-MOS was riding the train then she would have a perfect shot at each member of their group as soon as it passed them. In the split-second this allowed, he calculated the losses and the few ways of minimizing them; until Jin spoke up.

"I don't suppose we can outrun it," Jin said, turned towards the vehicle with his sword held out.

Ziggy's silence was a solid enough answer.

"Just stand behind me," Jin instructed him. "Get ready to fight."

Ziggy agreed to the plan as the train sped into view, careening towards them at a speed much faster than it was ever meant to go. On it's roof, effected not in the least by the pressure of the speed, stood KOS-MOS bearing her weaponry. Her red eyes glared down on them. Ziggy locked eyes with the android for a split-second as Jin sprang forward.

"Hyah!" he cried out, and swung his sword in a wide arc. KOS-MOS leapt from the train. A blue blade of light emitted from the edge of Jin's sword and struck through the structure. One car after another slammed into it slicing it half and continued to fly. The twin halves went careening out of control into the distance on either side of them in a fiery wreckage. Their men ducked and covered their heads as the shrapnel rained on them.

Ziggy, unaffected, turned to look at the destruction behind him. Jin seemed surprised himself as he knelt on the ground panting, out of breath. "I believe... that is the largest thing... I've ever cut in half," he said, as parts of the train continued to explode.

KOS-MOS emerged from the flames, firing her guns in their direction. Ziggy pulled Jin into a small recession in the wall that barely provided cover for the two of them. "Stay here, recover your strength." With that, he leapt into the fray.

Ziggy heard the cry of one soldier, something about a robotic bitch, as his men continued to support him from their hiding spaces. This was followed by grunts of agony as bullets swept over the dark hall.

He swung the blade mounted on his arm over his head and brought it down in a lightning-fast flip before she had a change to swing the gun and shoot him down. She blocked it with her free arm, leaving a gash. As soon as she turned her weapon at him, the gunners in the passageway opened fire.

(5)

"What is that sound?" Shion asked, perking her ears.

KOS-MOS continued to light the way with her visor and answered without turning. "There is a battle taking place between a KOS-MOS unit and what I assume to be Kukai Foundation forces in the train car tunnel. To avoid being involved in their fight, I am leading us along a safer route."

Shion stopped in her tracks and clenched her fists anxiously. "Well we can't just let them die over there!"

Allen and chaos shared a glance, both fully aware of what was coming, as KOS-MOS finally stopped and cared to turn her head. "It is our first priority to secure the bridge and ensure the safety of the command center. I am viewing this battle as a fortunate distraction from our presence."

"But that could be Jin fighting for all we know!" Shion snapped back. "Don't you care? They're all going to die! We could team up and help them, we'd stand a better chance!"

"I fail to see your logic," KOS-MOS answered. "Your suggestion is idealistic. I am simply being realistic."

"KOS-MOS!"

"Why don't we calm down?" chaos pleaded. "KOS-MOS, you are not required to act on mission priorities anymore."

"That's right," Allen replied. KOS-MOS gave him a blank expression, which he read to be confusion. "Okay KOS-MOS," he said, trying to explain it to this android who he had come to view as a member of his own family over the years, though even in that respect she was still very much adopted from Kevin Winnicott. Allen doubted that he could fill his old boss's shoes in any respect, for Shion or KOS-MOS; but KOS-MOS needed someone to try right now. "Why don't you tell us, why are you fighting right now? Is it for some orders? For Shion maybe?"

KOS-MOS blinked once as if considering. "My last command was to serve mankind. KOS-MOS's logic separated into two separate entities due to a conflict concerning how best to act upon these orders."

Allen's mouth hung agape, searching for what would be the next right thing to say. To his relief, chaos continued for him. "Why were your decisions different?" he asked her gently. "Maybe there is something that you are acting upon which you have yet to realize."

"That is a possibility," KOS-MOS replied. She then glanced at Allen and Shion in turn. "Seeing that my status is rogue at the moment, I am no longer under the command of Vector Industries. I will obey the commands of my creator and caretaker."

Letting the gun fall by her side again, Shion frowned and reached her hands towards KOS-MOS. She held KOS-MOS's cold, metal limbs in her grasp and looked up into her eyes in sympathy. "I want you to understand what it is you are fighting for," she said sadly. "I didn't create you to be a weapon, to shoot at whoever your owner told you to; I created you as a _person_ with the power to protect people. I know that it is hard, but can't you understand this? Sometimes, even if the chances are lower in one situation than another, you have to risk it because human lives are just that valuable!"

Allen cupped a hand on Shion's shoulder, remembering in a wave of emotion, Lieutenant Virgil's body lying on the ground, shot to pieces. Surely Shion was remembering the same thing; she looked nearly the same as she had then. "Come on," he whispered. "Let's not push her too hard. She's trying to understand. It'll take some time. She's agreeing to help us now. We should go before its too late."

Shion let KOS-MOS's hands go, and took a deep breath. She raised her head and faced Allen. "You're right. Sorry. I just... that other KOS-MOS, do you think that I created her too? That even this KOS-MOS, my KOS-MOS... could turn into that?"

"Don't worry about it," Allen replied. "We'll make it right somehow."

KOS-MOS stepped past them, returning in the direction that they had come, heading towards the source of the noise. "I suggest we make haste."

"Right," Shion nodded. "That's right."

(6)

The bullets zipped just over Ziggy's head as he ducked, spreading his realian legs gymnastically. He lunged forward and grabbed the barrels of the gun, aiming it away from his body. Then he lifted it up over his head, and KOS-MOS along with it as she refused to let go. A heavy round from the support struck her where he held her in the air, breaking her grip on the chain gun. Ziggy received a scalding in the process, but didn't flinch.

Still with a firm grip in the chain gun's barrels, he smashed it down upon KOS-MOS's body. This broke the gun more than it injured KOS-MOS, but it kept her down a second longer. She recovered quicker than he could attack again, and leapt out of the way of a fist full of lightning, which hit and blew a hole into the transportation track.

"Please stand down," he heard KOS-MOS say. Another plea for surrender? The voice came from another source than the KOS-MOS in front of him. He turned his head and found himself pinned between two. This was not good.

He began to develop a plan as the first KOS-MOS sprang towards him. If he blocked, the other would surely strike him in a vital area and leave him out of service. He thought of calling for Jin despite the man's obvious fatigue, but when KOS-MOS's arm can slashing down on his head in R-BLADE form, the other reached out to protect him with her own.

"KOS-MOS," he said, a mild amount of surprise showing through, realizing that this was the KOS-MOS that he was more familiar with. "What is-"

"If you would instruct your unit to cease firing on me, that would be most appreciated."

Ziggy looked back to his men, including Jin who had stood and gotten ready to attack even without being called for, and waved. "It's alright," he said as the two androids began to parry. "Concentrate on defense now."

He didn't take his eyes off of the enemy KOS-MOS unit for a moment, but he spoke to Jin. "I still want you to stay back, KOS-MOS and I can handle this."

"I'm not inclined to disagree with you," Jin chuckled. His body ached. He stood back and let Ziggy have the rest. At that point, he heard someone shouting his name, followed by a hard slap on his back. He spun around to find himself face to face with his sister, her expression furious. "Shion?" he exclaimed, and pulled her over to a recess in the wall as sparks began to fly between the fighters. "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Shion retorted, though she knew that her own presence was a good deal stranger. "I'm here with KOS-MOS trying to save the Kukai Foundation!"

Allen ran up a second later panting for breath, followed by chaos. "Shion!" he said in exasperation, in the same tone that he used to call her chief. "Don't run off like that!"

"You're too slow!" Shion snapped back, and focused on Jin again. "Half of these men are wounded if not dead and you'd be too if I hadn't brought KOS-MOS here!"

"I'll thank you for bringing your battle android," Jin replied. "However, I still think that you're getting yourself into unnecessary trouble again."

chaos smiled at them both, despite the tense situation. "The sibling rivalry can be put on hold," he said. "Right now we need to treat the wounded and pull them to safety while Ziggy and KOS-MOS are handling the enemy."

Shion put grievance behind her and nodded. "Okay, good idea!"

While the non-combatants went to aid the wounded, Ziggy and KOS-MOS fought the double of KOS-MOS. Although nearly identical, Ziggy could determine from KOS-MOS's stances and her actions exactly which was which. KOS-MOS was kicked aside, he caught her feet in his hands and boosted her right back at the enemy without missing a beat. Years ago he had learned to synchronize his motions with hers on the battlefield. Fighting beside her as the party's front line attacker again, he met with a wave of nostalgia even though he tried very hard not to acknowledge it. Even in the stoic warrior there was a sense of camaraderie, a feeling that they could not fail, though the odds may be piled against them.

"We must end this quickly," he said. "MOMO is on the bridge, and they may be in danger."

"Understood," KOS-MOS replied flatly.

(7)

Meanwhile, Shelley Godwin raced all the way to the Kukai Foundation's command center, a building on the edge of the lake. This place had rarely ever been used for more than an office. Even when crisis were commonplace, the Durandal's bridge was always the defined command position. Shelley vaguely remembered using this building to control a fire that had broken out in the residential sector one day long ago when the directors had been away with the Durandal for some reason that she couldn't even recall. Nevertheless, it was hopping with people when she stepped inside.

As soon as she did, she was greeted with sighs of relief and cries of joy. "Oh thank god!" someone said, "Somebody who knows what they're doing!"

Shelley smiled weakly and made her way to the command room while a young woman in a uniform walks by her side and filled her in. "We only have brief, periodic contact with the realians on the bridge," she explained. "By scanning the Durandal we are able to observe the battle taking place, but we aren't able to send or receive any information."

"Jin and Ziggy are there," she said calmly as the entered the main command area. "It should be fine." It was a round room with a large viewing panel that looked straight at the Durandal sticking into the sky. There were about twenty consoles positions in various spots, manned my humans and realians alike. Shelley immediately began collecting information and processing it. "Let's focus on regaining communications with the bridge. Allow me to hook into the mainframe. I should be able to use it even while it is under lock down."

"Yes Ma'am!" the officer chimed, and went to fetch the proper equipment.

Before she returned, a young man at the observation consoles raised his voice. "Miss Shelley!" he said, "We're reading a heat increase in a location apart from the battle taking place in the transportation system!"

"Details, please," Shelley answered.

"I'll pinpoint the area," he continued, and a blue square highlighted around a piece of the Durandal's outer hull which stuck up above the lake. It was very close to the bridge, and that had Shelley alarmed. "Heat is increasing, it's a tiny point, but it's passing the level of hull integrity."

"Something is trying to break out of the Durandal forcefully," Shelley cleared up for anyone who hadn't caught onto that yet. "Aim all guns of the appropriate range at that point and prepare to fire."

"Aye, Ma'am!" said the young woman.

The hole crew in diameter until it was several feet wide. Out of the darkness inside the Durandal, a figure all in white and blue emerged. Shelley waited patiently for the android to come out of her makeshift door. It's feet seemed to stick against the red hull, and she quickly stood up, standing on the ship but horizontally positioned compared to the surroundings. The gravity outside the ship was different and her hair fell towards the ground, but she seemed completely unaffected by the change otherwise.

Shelley's voice rose, but remained calm. "We may sacrifice part of the Durandal's hull, but that can't be avoided. Fire at will."

(8)

On the bridge of the Durandal, the 100-series realians were becoming restless. A few of the identical girls began to converse about everyday matters to get their mind off of things, and MOMO didn't have the heart to put them back to work. It was futile. They were out of power, and had unlocked and set barriers around everything that they could. She half wished that KOS-MOS would attack now if she was going to and spare them all the grief. She wished so badly that Jr. was there with her, but remained determined to take this on without him.

"What kind of body do you think I should get when we do the upgrades?" Ume asked, hoping to lighten the mood. MOMO turned and smiled warmly. She appreciated the thought.

Before she could answer, the floor shook and the sound of muffled explosions were heard. "What's going on?" MOMO asked, though she knew none of the others had any more information than she did.

"It looks like the Foundation is firing on us!" Riko squeaked. "Why would they do that?"

"Those were light surface vibrations," MOMO thought aloud. "They must be shooting at something on the surface of the Durandal." She gasped as the realization sunk in. The blast doors and several yards of solid steel made it difficult to pass through the lift in the conventional way, but the hull over the bridge was the same as any other area. "All of you, get to the back, right now!"

They barely managed to follow her orders when the sound of something beating against the hull just outside the bridge was heard. MOMO waited patiently and the Battle-grade realians readied their guns as the cyborg lifted her hand and punched down hard. A large crack formed in the window, which was now black due to power outage. Artificial sunlight from the foundation poured in through the cracks.

"Please do not resist," came KOS-MOS's voice, as the hammering halted for a moment.

MOMO balled her fists. "No! I don't care, KOS-MOS! You took them away, and I'm going to stop you! You can't possibly be the same person I know!"

She continued to punch three times more, the younger realian girls flinching with each sound of her fist clashing against the surface.

"The code to start this ship is stored in each of us!" MOMO yelled at KOS-MOS. "If you kill any one of us, you won't ever get it!"

KOS-MOS broke the window with one final strike. A huge portion of it fell away, and splashed into the lake hundreds of feet below them. The realians opened fire as KOS-MOS entered but none of their bullets struck anything vital as she leaped over the first tier and squatted out of their fire.

KOS-MOS quickly pulled her pistol forward and leapt from her position, firing two blasts that struck each of the battle-grade realians in the chest. They were unconscious and on the floor by the time her feet landed on the console of the third tier where MOMO stood.

"Don't you know how this would hurt Shion if she knew!" MOMO yelled, kneeling to the ground. She checked the realian's pulses, and they seemed to be fine, not that it came as much a relief at the moment. "Please KOS-MOS, you have to be you somewhere deep down, I know it!"

KOS-MOS aimed her gun directly at MOMO. She stared down the barrel of the weapon only a few inches from her face. The sound of sobs suddenly broke the moment of quiet as Riko began to cry. Another one shushed her, though they were all forcing back their outbursts.

"Do not move or I will be forced to shoot," KOS-MOS stated. "Do not worry. The results of my actions will be for mankind's benefit."

MOMO squinted her eyes closed and shook her head. "No its not! And I don't care even if it is! You took my friends away! You took away the person that I love most of all!" She held her arms out suddenly. KOS-MOS perceived this as no sign of a thread, but she was wrong. "Ether drive, connect!" MOMO cried out.

KOS-MOS was struck by the power of MOMO's ether channel, which was even greater than her own. She tumbled down to the third tier and her gun was knocked away from her hand. MOMO removed a rifle from the hands of one of the fallen realians and leapt down after her. Struggling to lift the heavy object, she aimed it at KOS-MOS as she rose to her feet and fired off round after round. Each one stuck KOS-MOS in the midsection and though it did very little to pierce her hard metal body, it did push her backwards.

After expending the ammunition, MOMO ran up to KOS-MOS as she was reeling and swung the large black weapon. "Go away and stay out of here!" she screamed, and smacked KOS-MOS as hard as she could. In any normal situation this would have been nothing but a mosquito bite to KOS-MOS's defenses, but she happened to be teetering over the area between the inside and outside of the Durandal where the gravitation field was off, part horizontal and part vertical. The blow sent her falling backwards out of the bridge and down the side of the Durandal. MOMO watched, wiping away tears of anger, as she fell into the water far below. After several seconds there was a large splash at the base of the ship. 

She stood and regained her composure. After realizing exactly what she had just done, her face turned bright red and she turned to face her sisters. They were all looking at her with expressions of utter shock.

"Well..." she said, putting the gun down and straightening her hair. She blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Um... I feel much better now!"


	15. Ditch Attempt

Note: This is probably my last chapter before Xenosaga III comes out. And afterwards... well... I'll probably play the game five times over, but I do plan on continuing this fic until it's finished!

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 15: Ditch Attempt_

(1)

Mary sat silently and watched as Jr. and Gaignun exchanged glances at each other, their expressions changing ever so often. She knew they were having a telepathic conversation that she couldn't be let in on, and she found it very annoying. "I wish you two wouldn't talk behind my back like that," she grumbled.

"Uh, Mary," Jr. replied, "If you haven't noticed, there's like... a _battle android_ over there. Its not as if we can talk out loud."

Gaignun stopped the small argument before it broke out by clapping a hand on both of their shoulders. The two were still bound with their hands behind their backs. Being trapped with the both of them in a small compartment, Gaignun wondered if he should consider himself lucky for that. "Sorry," he said. "We'll be sure to include you whenever possible."

_Just ignore her if she doesn't get it._ Jr. thought.

_Don't get so riled up. This situation has got you both tense._

_Yeah, yeah, okay._ He sighed. _So what do you think he best plan of action will be?_

_I hate to say it, but we should try to comply._

Jr. frowned. _But they're going to push us into an even more helpless position than we're already in, and whatever chance we had will be totally gone._

_Surely a human being will come to us eventually and we can get some answers._

_But Gaignun, what if the reason we are being handled by androids is because they_ know about your powers already. KOS-MOS was fully aware of who we are and what we can do. If they hijacked her memory banks...

Gaignun felt a wave of Jr.'s furious temper rising at the thought. _Do you really care about that android?_

_Yes!_ Jr. responded. _Android or not, she's still a friend of mine... or something close enough. She's helped save the foundation a number of times, and I'm not going to sit back and let some bastards screw with her! Look what they've turned this one into,_ his glance shot up at the unit keeping watch over them. _A psycho android who thinks she's MOMO._

Gaignun withheld his opinion and hoped that his brother was right. _Sorry for bringing it up, it's beside the point. What I am trying to stress is the fact that we are no match for these androids in our current state. Four years ago maybe you and I could have contended with her, but can you even meld metal anymore with your powers, the way you used to so casually?_

_I can do it, just not as easilly,_ he explained. _I sorta tried it already though... _

_Well I know that my powers are completely useless with androids._

There was a brief pause as Jr. considered that. Mary was still grimacing and feeling left out. He smirked. _Well I wouldn't want to get Mary hurt in an escape attempt,_ he said. _I'll go with your idea. But, I'm telling you, if they hurt Mary or MOMO or anybody else back on the Durandal, I'm blowing these cuffs off._

_I'll do what I can to help in that case._

Their dull-faced warden watched their silent exchange with a kind of mechanical curiosity. The voice that normally led her every step sounded weaker and weaker. She looked at them all, sitting on the ground in the corner opposite from her, and her expression softened.

"Yeah? What do you want?" Jr. asked with a petulant tone, while Mary turned her chin up and away in disgust.

"I was wondering if your bindings are causing you any discomfort," she said. "I could remove them, as long as you agree not to resist capture."

Jr. squinted suspiciously. "Why would you do that?"

KOS-MOS took a few steps towards them, causing Mary to scoot away, and knelt to her knees on Jr.'s side of the huddle. She held what was left of her damaged arm behind her back as if ashamed to let him see it. With her less battered hand, she touched a small recess on the device that held Jr.'s arms in place, submitting a code through touch. The rings around his hands disappeared.

He sat up and stretched his arms in front of him, rubbing his wrists. "Do Mary too," he commanded, as if he was in a position to do so. "And don't do anything funny."

Mary flinched and backed away. "Nuh-uh!" she said, shaking her head. "I don't want her touching me!"

"Relax Mary," Jr. said with a chuckle. "Just let her uncuff you, come on."

Mary grudgingly complied, and allowed KOS-MOS to deactivate the device. Once free, she sneered and sunk closer to Gaignun. "Keep her away from me!"

KOS-MOS remained on her knees next to Jr. awaiting whatever command he might give. He watched this behavior curiously. "I can't figure her out," he said aloud, while looking into her eyes, identical in every way to MOMO's, but somehow obviously not hers. "The way she acts... its like she cares about us."

"Are you serious?" Mary spat. Gaignun raised an eyebrow.

Jr. shook his head with a grin. "Well I mean... she's not really hurting anyone. She threatened us, but she didn't kill any of those soldiers. I'm not even really all that bruised, to tell the truth. I'm just wondering... if it wasn't for being hard-wired to follow orders, would this KOS-MOS be our friend like the first one was?"

"But she is hard wired to be our enemy," Gaignun said, concern in his tone. "Don't start thinking she's not."

Jr. titled his head The yellow-eyed KOS-MOS stared back at him like a lost pet. "Hey," he said and raised his hand. She followed it with her eyes as he pointed his finger and jabbed it gently into her cheek. "Can you feel that?"

The android clapped her hand over her cheek where he touched her and looked down. "No," she said. "I can gauge the pressure and speed of your attack, but I do not possess the receptors associated with the sense of touch."

Jr. began to laugh. "My _attack?_" he said through a chuckle. "I attacked you?"

KOS-MOS searched her logic system for a response, and had trouble finding any. She noted that the expression on his face at that moment was the same as the files in KOS-MOS's memory that she had observed again and again, trying to learn how to become the girl in those memories.

The ship bounced softly, making it known that they were coming out of hyperspace. KOS-MOS stood and turned serious again. "We will disembark momentarily," she told them. "Please do not attempt to escape after our landing. I can assure you that the transport vessels in this facility have all been specially constructed and configured for automated use, and will not respond if you attempt to commandeer them."

_We could probably hack it somehow_, Jr. thought. _Damn... now I do wish Shelley was here._

_Let's not push our luck,_ Gaignun replied.

They felt the ship touch down on a surface. Once it was still, KOS-MOS opened the doorway. Light rushed in and stung their eyes for a moment. Jr. stood, and it was good to stretch his legs again. "Well, we're still in one piece," he said as the others rose to their feet. "Let's see if we can find out where we are."

"Please follow me," KOS-MOS said, and waited for them to start walking in her direction. When Mary stood, she help her hand up to block her.

"What's the big idea?" Mary barked, looking ready to bite into the palm that hovered in front of her face.

"The URTVs are secure," KOS-MOS replied. "Your presence is no longer needed."

Jr. nearly bolted back into the shuttle at that, but KOS-MOS held him back. "Hey! You said she'd be safe if we complied!"

"She will be. I am sending her back to the Kukai Foundation unharmed, as promised."

Jr. calmed down and sunk back onto the soles of his feet. He looked at the android with scrutiny, but much less animosity. "How can I be sure that you'll keep your word?"

"I have no reason to harm Mary Godwin."

Gaignun folded his arms. "You don't have any reason to send her back either, now that we're here and can do nothing to stop you."

"You seem to have misjudged my intent," KOS-MOS explained. "Although I would not hesitate to eliminate a human life if it were for the greater good of humanity as a whole, killing Mary Godwin does not bring me any closer to humanity's salvation, and would likely make our interaction much more difficult. Keeping her alive here would prove a problem as well. Allowing her to return would only cost us a single shuttle."

Jr. smiled at Mary, who stood above him inside the craft. "Looks like she's for real. You get to go home."

Mary stared back speechlessly for a moment before the words came spilling out together. "But Little Master, I don't want to leave you here!"

Jr. leaned backwards under the weight of Mary's embrace as he tried to keep her from falling out of the shuttle. "Stop it... are you crazy or something? I said you get to go back!" He pushed her firmly away, shaking his head.

She turned to Gaignun instead. "Surely _you_ don't mean for me to go back on my own as well, Master Gaignun?"

Gaignun patted her back sympathetically for a moment before letting her go. "Yes, I think it's best for you to return to the Foundation. There may still be KOS-MOS units there as well. With Shelley gone, the entire foundation will need you to lead them in my absence."

"B-but I'd really rather die than leave you all alone!"

Jr. shook his head again at how quickly she seemed to forget he was even there when Gaignun started pouring on the charm. "Hey listen, Mary. At this rate, at least you'll be able to come back and save us, huh? Come back with a lot of guns!"

Mary looked back at him and nodded sadly. "I... I suppose... I have to live through this to help you both. Oh, but I don't want to leave you!"

"Just get in the shuttle, stupid!"

KOS-MOS grew impatient with the scene unfolding, and decided to speed it along. She firmly shoved Mary into the cell again. The young woman's protests (which made Jr.'s profanity seem like dinner conversation) were muffled as the door came abruptly down between her and her masters who stood just outside it.

Jr. placed both of his palms against the surface of the door. "Come on Mary," he said softly. He was truly relieved. "You're the only one I can count on."

On the other side, Mary did the same, though unaware that the two of them were so close. She couldn't hear him through the door. "Listen to me dammit, if either of you dies..."

KOS-MOS activated the shuttle. If began on its automated course, traveling back to its point of origin. Gaignun and Jr. stood watching, filled with a feeling much like castaways watching their message in a bottle float calmly out of sight.

"Please come with me," KOS-MOS said, pausing only briefly for them.

"Yeah," Jr. agreed. "Alright."

As she led them away from the shuttle, they realized for the first time that the surface upon which they walked was curved. The dock here was not very large compared to the wastefully spacious ones that people of their era were more familiar with. There was only room here for four of the shuttles like the ones they had arrived on. Above them there were observation rooms, as if docking was a tricky task to whoever built this station.

_What is this?_ Gaignun asked his brother as they walked. _I feel like an ant inching around the inside of a doughnut._

_Ancient technology,_ Jr. replied. _Before gravitational field generators, these huge rings were the only way humans could create gravity in space._

_Why would Vector choose such an archaic locale?_

_I'm beginning to think she told us the truth. Vector really, honestly, isn't behind this at all, Gaignun._

KOS-MOS led them to a door and they entered. "Please do not be alarmed by your surroundings," she noted, and with good reason. Past this threshold, the bright and clean atmosphere of the dock disappeared altogether. The space was cramped, full of piping and wires and rough panelling that had to be thousands of years old. Over this there was a layer of nano-machine growth, organic clumps of machine colonies patching up what parts of the ship might have failed over those millennia. The lighting was just barely enough to walk by, and not enough to prevent Jr. from tripping.

"What the hell is this?" he spouted.

"We did not have a large assortment of unlisted space craft to choose from," KOS-MOS explained. "I apologize if you would prefer something more modern."

"Well, I have to say I like antiques," Jr. chuckled in spite. "I was more unsettled by the nano-machines. "

"These colonies work in accordance with KOS-MOS's will as well," she answered. "In fact, these nano-machines have been labeled KOS-MOS Unit 12."

"Yick!" Jr. exclaimed, and backed away from the walls. "So what you mean to say is that we're walking around in a bunch of KOS-MOS bits?"

KOS-MOS chose not to answer. Gaignun sighed. "Calm down, it's not like she's made of flesh anyway."

"It's still kind of weird," Jr. winced, hoping to get out of that area as fast as he could.

Once they passed through the long curved corridor and to the next open chamber however, he wished he had stayed put. After several minutes of walking, the passageway opened up into a wide room. This room was lit from above, and its walks were also coated in the nano-machine mass. What made it significant were several black cylinders that were obviously not a part of the original design lining the ceiling, floor, and walls. They rose in sets of four as colums from floor to ceiling as well. At least forty of them were in plain sight. Gaignun stopped sharply in his tracks, a lingering sense of suffering crashing into him just as he entered, like a bad smell.

This room was also occupied. Under the light from above there were two figures, arguably female. One looked similar to the KOS-MOS that Jr. once knew, but the glowing blue mass was primary in her design. Though she had a human face, her shin faded into a gelatinous blue body. The other was the most distracting, however. It was completely black and slick like onyx, possessing not a single hair on its head or face. Only its physical shape and piercing red eyes made it obviously another of KOS-MOS's alternates. Jr. stared at the monstrosity, unable to make an attack even with words.

The human-faced unit opened its mouth, and KOS-MOS's voice came out of it. This made Jr. realize just how much the golden-eyed model sounded like MOMO. "Unit six," she said. "Why are these subjects conscious?"

"They complied under the conditions they were given. I saw no reason to use force."

"Subject Mary Godwin is no longer present," the dark as night KOS-MOS continued. "Why?"

The MOMO look-alike blinked as if taking a moment to register that. All KOS-MOS's decisions were made based on logic, so for their decisions to differ perplexed even this machine. "I reached the most logical conclusion," she explained, as if she were being put on trial. "There is no purpose in killing or keeping a subject we no longer have a use for."

Jr. would have interjected something there, but something happened then that shot all of the thoughts in his head down, where they crashed and were lost to him forever. That one with the blue body _smirked._

"Oh? Tell me, why is it that KOS-MOS system thinks differently?" she asked in a tone dripping with superiority.

Jr. watched this baffled, and was only pulled away from the exchange when Gaignun reached him with his mind. Instead of light comments, this was more like a red flag. _There's people here,_ Gaignun said.

_What?_ Jr. turned to find Gaignun's expression grim and serious.

_Yes. These tubes. There's a person inside of each one._

_No way!_ Jr. exclaimed. _Are you sure? I mean... these tubes aren't big enough for a person to fit in..._

_Not... not whole, at least..._

"Ha," the black KOS-MOS chuckled, looking over to the URTVs. "Did you notice our house guests?"

"Who are you?" Gaignun demanded to know. "What have you done to these people?"

Jr.'s glance shot to the one who'd accompanied them there. His expression made it known that he felt betrayed. "I thought you said that you weren't going to hurt anyone," he growled.

"I had no idea that this was the physical implementation of the plan," she denied. "However, I assure you that none of these people are in pain. In fact, I would imagine that they are dreaming happily in the encephalon."

"That's not the point!" Jr. raved, waving his arms open.

She looked genuinely surprised. "But... they are in an ideal world based on their every want and desire. Their perception cannot differentiate reality from simulation. Their world is perfect. Why does this upset you?"

Jr. looked down, fists clenched. "I wouldn't expect an android to understand," he said, then his chin popped up with resolve. "Without knowing any pain, a person can't understand what joy is! That's why... living in a world that's designed to be perfect is worse than living in hell. You take a human being's struggle away from them, and you take away their soul!"

"Unless you can prove to me that such a thing exists," said the dark ebony woman, "I don't really care."

"Unit six," said the other. "You must report to KOS-MOS maintenance lab C. We're going to analyze your various tangents from KOS-MOS system logic, as well as repair your frame. You are to end all interaction with the URTV subjects at this point."

Jr. watched closely as the golden-eyed KOS-MOS's face did show unmistakable uncertainty. "But... I am... to serve unit 666, that is my specific purpose..."

"You will switch your functions to those of a standard combatant model."

The pink-haired android met eyes with Jr. once more, then with Gaignun, then slowly Jr. with again. "Affirmative," she said, and turned her back. She began to walk away, crossing the room and walking through another corridor. The sound of her heels against the ground faded away, until every sign of her was gone. Jr. and Gaignun were left alone with two KOS-MOS units to deal with, and these seemed much less rational.

"Mm, I think I like this one," crooned the more human of the two. Her face was realistic, and even expressed a perverse fascination with the red-haired subject. "He's smaller, but I bet that he squirms more."

"Take the Red Dragon then if you want," said the other. "I suppose it's more fitting that I'm the one to tend to the darker one."

Gaignun laughed bitterly. "I didn't know that androids had such preferences."

"You will find that due to our different physical attributes and functions, our artificial personalities differ a bit," she explained. Her features were harder to make out in the dim light, but she was just as expressive. "Unit one-the one you know best- is strictly a weapon, and so, as you no doubt have noticed, thinks very logically. Units two through five are very much the same, and so they never deviate even the slightest from the mother system. Unit six was created for a slightly different purpose. She was made to deceive, capture, and then nurture the two of you. Along that course, she got a little too attached. It seems like she wants to fix you."

"Funny," Jr. shrugged. "Isn't that how women generally are?"

Gaignun was less amused. "Why were we targeted specifically?"

"Now now," she answered, and smiled. Her teeth were white and one of the only visible features against her pitch black face, which made her grin a disturbing thing to behold. "We haven't told you enough about ourselves yet to start talking about you."

"So you've developed yourselves a couple of egos," Gaignun muttered. "Good for you."

Then, the menacing creature faded out of sight-not with a bang or a flash, but as if a shadow had fallen and hidden her away. In a split-second, she reappeared just behind Gaignun, and he was unable to sense her presence at all until she spoke directly into his ear. "My specialty is camouflage, I'm an assasin. I was created with the explicit purpose of never making myself known to others.

Gaignun attempted to jump away, but she caught him quickly in an arm lock.

"Interesting, how I feel like describing myself in great detail instead of fading into the darkness. Kind of like how you killed your fatherinstead of your brother, am I correct?"

"How did you _know that_?" Gaignun growled back.

"Gaignun," Jr. mouthed, teetering on the edge of attacking the android holding his brother captive. _This is bad, we should have run for it earlier!_

_No,_ he replied, and even his internal voice was defeated. _At least this way, Mary managed to escape._

"Thinking of going somewhere?" the KOS-MOS unit with the human face asked, and tip-toed closer to Jr. "Don't you want to hear what I was made for?"

"I don't give a damn," Jr. retorted, sneering.

She laughed. "You know... I can be anything you want."

The demonstration began, and the person standing in front of Jr. was no longer KOS-MOS, but a young woman of roughly seventeen. Dark chocolate brown waves of satiny hair poured over her cream-colored shoulders, left bare by a white gown. Emerald eyes warmly met his as he dared to inspect her face.

"What the hell is this?"

"Don't you recognize me?" she said, and even her voice had changed. "I'm an idealized memory of a girl you knew briefly in childhood, I really am the perfect, ideal girl who haunts your dreams! No one could ever live up to your memory of me... not even me, if I was still alive!"

Jr. scowled. "You're a fucking horrible actor, that's what you are."

"Oh my dear, the language!" she cried in an over dramatic tone, and suddenly appeared to be MOMO as a twelve year old girl. "Would you say that in front of me? I bet you prefer the original version to the new one, you're kind of sick that way. But I don't mind, as long as you might shed even a tiny amount of your love onto me. Come on, take me! Don't be cruel!"

At that point, Jr.'s rage had built to a level that might have been dangerous in the past. It would take a bit more to push him over the edge, but he was getting there. "That's it!"

_Don't let her provoke you,_ Gaignun warned.

_I don't want to hear any lectures from a guy that's pinned down right now!_

_Jr., these androids know about your powers, they are just trying to-_

"Maybe it would be easier for you to hit me..." the shape-shifter interrupted, just before switching into the physical representation of Jr.'s most feared demons. It was Albedo, hovering over him, just as large as before, despite Jr. having grown bigger himself. "...If I looked like this?"

"No kidding!" Jr. shouted (in what was hard to make out, but sounded more like excitement than anger), and pounded his fist hard into the side of Albedo's face without giving it a moment of thought.

Albedo-KOS-MOS unit eight-reeled back from the blow. "Ow, hey! You really don't play around! I thought you'd at least hesitate!"

Gaignun sighed and hung his head in dismay. "You need to research a little harder."

Jr. hopped back and forth on his feet with his fists at the ready like a nimble boxer, a grin plastered across his face. "Come on, show me what you've got! If you keep that face on, I might just have fun!" Sometimes Jr., at his worst, was hardly distinguishable from himself at his best.

"Well if it means you'll enjoy it..." She smiled, and held her arms out towards him. They became longer, stretching out like rubber and whipping around his body faster than he could process what was happening.

Jr. could do little more than gasp before he was wrapped up in unit eight's limbs. They bound his arms by his sides and snapped him against her (or him, as it was at the moment). He found his face pressed against the android's chest. She still looked like Albedo, but there was no heart beating in her, much less one that matched his own beat. Jr. bared his teeth and began to breath heavily in anger.

She squeezed harder, choking the breath out of him from the chest. "Can't you do anything without a gun in your hand?" she taunted him. "Can't you rub out a mere piece of mechanical mimicry with the power of your blinding will? The same will that challenged God? Or are you just a neutered lap-dog of a pathetic civilization? Are the only battles you fight anymore waged behind a desk?"

"I-" Jr. tried to retort, but he couldn't draw breath.

"Weak... coward. You're just afraid to die, afraid to get hurt at all. You don't give a damn about others. You only let them get as close as _you_ feel comfortable with. Now there's a girl out there dying because she wanted to be close to you."

A gargling sound resembling MOMO's name came from his throat.

"Can't you see her... trying desperately to stand in that place where you stand, thinking about how you once were there, and how she must throw her life down to protect what you love most... which isn't her. And screaming as they crush her limbs, ruining that new body, the one she altered for your sake. Blood dripping from those sweet lips that always longed for the touch of yours as she watches her sisters die one by one and coughs up her life..."

Jr. didn't hear the most of that before he broke. "Shut up!" His rage exploded and the blood red light of his pure unyielding essence washed over the scene. Gaignun watched this and knew that their hope was truly lost.

It was brilliant but short-lived. The failed to damage KOS-MOS, and when it was over, Jr. was limp and lifeless in her arms. She loosened her hold, her arms became solid again, and she cradled him gently like a child.

"Was that it?" the shadow-skinned unit seven scoffed. "How disappointing. I can't believe how easily you riled him with such corny jabs, either."

"He must have been just on the verge of telling her, right when everything went wrong." Unit eight rubbed Jr.'s slack shoulders and cooed in addition, "Poor thing... he really can't perform anymore, can he? But we'll fix that."

Gaignun shook with physical and mental exhaustion, eyes trained on Jr. who was unconscious, but so far, unharmed. "What are you going to do?"

Unit eight turned and followed the path that led from the room, carrying Jr. with her. Unit seven nudged Gaignun to follow, holding him in an impossible iron grip.

"We will return things to the way they ought to be."

(2)

chaos raised his hand from treating the wound of one of the Kukai Foundation's soldiers who was in dire condition. "You'll be fine now," he said calmly, but his thoughts were on KOS-MOS. The sound of her trials echoed in the circuit. They could see KOS-MOS fighting, and it felt strange just to sit by, even if they were helping those who needed immediate attention. "Shion?" he asked.

She looked up from her task where her brother could handle the wound himself, putting his doctorate to use for once. "Yes?"

"This isn't right. I think... I am going to try and talk to that other KOS-MOS."

Shion's eyes widened in disbelief. "W-what?"

chaos smiled and stood up casually. "Just take care of these wounded for me, please?"

"But chaos!" Shion protested, jumping to her feet as he began to walk towards the battle where KOS-MOS and Ziggy engaged an alter-KOS-MOS. "That KOS-MOS isn't KOS-MOS at all, it's not a-!" She stopped as Jin's hand gently tugged at her arm and held her back. She stuck her nose up at him and wrenched it away, but took his advice nevertheless.

Though the enemy android was an opponent not to be trifled with, Ziggy and KOS-MOS's combined efforts were enough to wear her down. By the time chaos joined the conflict, she was on one knee, waiting for the final blow. Her abdomen was damaged, and parts of her trailed out of an opening there along with blue rays. Her face lacked any hint of desperation. She just waited, and searched for a factor that might turn the tide of battle in a more favorable direction.

"chaos," KOS-MOS addressed him. "There is no need for you to participate in this battle. Please stand back. I must sever and destroy her central operating core before it sends commands to her lesser parts, or triggers a self-destruct."

chaos's sympathetic gaze washed over KOS-MOS's discarded other self, and he disobeyed her wishes to take a step closer. "But wait a minute..." he said almost in a whisper. "This KOS-MOS, she's just another part of the whole. Like a hand or a foot. If she's destroyed, her true self exists elsewhere. But this was the same for you, as well. I want to try and reach out to this person. Maybe... maybe more of them will be like you are."

KOS-MOS stood frigidly. "Showing compassion for the enemy on the field will accomplish absolutely nothing."

"Just let me try... please?"

KOS-MOS looked to Ziggy as if her cyborg partner might back her up on the issue, but he nodded in agreement with chaos. That decided, she ceased her argument and allowed chaos to walk further, while keenly observing her double for any change.

chaos approached and kneeled in front of the battered KOS-MOS unit, smiling weakly and extending his hand in compassion. "I really don't want to destroy you," he said. The real KOS-MOS took a notable interest in his tone. "If you have a consciousness and a soul, then you deserve to live just like anyone else. Don't you feel that you want to exist in your own right?"

KOS-MOS watched chaos reach out to her enemy, and wondered, though to wonder was a new practice for her. This KOS-MOS was once a part of her, and she felt an urge, in some form or another, to collect it into herself again. Of course, she was the one who separated, rather than purging unwanted pieces. This sensation then, must have been an uncharacteristic dip into basic human wants. It was sympathy, she wanted to assist that being who was in every way her own self, so that in turn, she might also be saved.

"What is he doing?" Shion shouted in protest. "You can't let him go near her without even defending himself, she'll _kill_ him!"

chaos continued, disregarding that. "Would you please discuss your plan with me?" he asked her. "If you want to protect humanity, then certainly we have the same goal in mind? If we don't agree we could continue fighting, but wouldn't it be logical to avoid violence?"

She raised her head. KOS-MOS, Ziggy, Shion, Allen, and Jin, altogether were witness as the seemingly empty shell of a remote body placed her fingers into chaos's gloved palm, and held his hand warmly. "Humanity must have a rival which is inhuman, lest it divide itself."

She clutched chaos's hand tightly, suddenly crushing the bones in his fingers with her metallic ones, while her other arm jutted forward. It pierced into chaos's chest just below the joint of his shoulder until her fingers were lodged inside of him.

Shion shrieked in bloody horror and nearly collapsed at the sight, falling _on_ rather than into Allen's arms, and it took Jin to steady them both. KOS-MOS promptly banished her split-second of human sentiment, and lunged with all of her strength. With an intense slash, she lopped off her clone-body's head, and the android fell apart on the floor of the train-wrecked circuit track, letting chaos slide free.

KOS-MOS quickly, but calmly, scooped chaos's bleeding body into her arms and lifted him up. Cradling him gently, she assessed his wounds. Not mortal. He was perfectly conscious and clutching at his injury, though he was in tremendous pain.

Shion burst out of Allen and Jin's hold, and raced forward, where she was halted by Ziggy. "Let me go!" she shouted. She was frantic in tears, and Allen was the only one present who knew the real reason why. "I made that machine!" she coughed, and tripped to the ground. Ziggy caught her, and held her up as Allen caught up.

"Shion," Ziggy said flatly. "chaos will be fine. There is no reason to panic. Please do not worry yourself into a mental breakdown at a time like this." "Leave her alone," Allen demanded in a gentle tone. Shion was trembling as he steadied her shoulders, curling into a ball like she had that day at the beach just from the sound of thunder.

"Ziggy," KOS-MOS said flatly. "My power resources have been significantly drained. Please handle the disposal of the unit carefully, detaching each limb from the torso to prevent and subsystem activation." Ziggy nodded in agreement, and went to do just that. KOS-MOS spared not a second in giving her next command. "Jin Uzuki, please treat chaos for his wounds immediately. Though his physiology is far more durable than human beings, I fear that he may suffer from blood loss."

Jin was of course, already doing just that before KOS-MOS finished the statement. "Really Shion, can't you program her to say important things like that a little faster?" he mumbled, while applying nano-spray to chaos. Shion didn't hear him.

"Im fine... really... I'll be fine," chaos whispered weakly in KOS-MOS's arms. "Tell Shion not to worry."

Shion was still cringing on the floor, not that Jin cared to give merit to her over-reaction, or that KOS-MOS had the ability to show much concern. Even so, the android tried her best to say something that might sooth her creator's mind. "It was not intended as a lethal blow," she said in a crisp and, as always, unfaltering tone.

Shion stopped shaking at the sound of her dear KOS-MOS's voice, and realized that Allen was there holding her and had been for the last minute or so. "W-what...?"

"It is entirely impossible for KOS-MOS to make such a miscalculation," KOS-MOS continued. "She purposefully avoided vital organs when she attacked, with the knowledge that chaos would survive."

"I know," chaos struggled to say. "She just wanted to get the message across."

Shion recovered, and swallowed the strong broken dam of emotions that had just burst out. She straightened her hair and then gave the same oblivious expression in defiance of reality to Allen, trying to pretend, if to forget was just a little too impossible, that what had just happened had happened at all.

"Shion," Allen said, unwilling to let the avoidance go this time. If Shion was still that deeply affected after another four years, she needed help. He couldn't just settle for helplessness anymore. But now, right now was not the time or the place. "And what's that?" he asked chaos tiredly.

"I guess," chaos coughed, as he sat up. "I guess... she just wanted to let me know that my kindness is something she doesn't want."

(3)

Golden eyes opened into darkness. She looked up at the top clamshell half of her resting chamber which had just hissed open. The blue lights on either side cast just enough light to guide her way out of the bed and to her feet. She lifted her arm. It was repaired, along with the bullet holes that riddled her body. This came with a mixed sense of relief and regret. The flesh of her body hid her identity once again, but she lamented those marks that he had given her.

But KOS-MOS is not the one who loves him. She is a tactical imitation. She is not meant to feel relief or regret.

She realized then that she was very alone. There was no reassuring voice of logical absolution. It weakened when she met that person, and now it was entirely absent.

This room was empty. Seeking something she could not name, she proceeded to the next room. More bed chambers for more KOS-MOS bodies, not all of them as human as her own, laid throughout. There was nothing soft or warm here, nothing beautiful. She continued searching without knowing why, until she found something that was.

He was there in the central chamber, and his eyes were closed. Her sensors told her that he lived, but he did not seem entirely alive. The content smile of a sweet dream was gone, his face was blank.

She raised her hand and pressed her index finger against his cheek. No response. Temperature readings lower than normal. She touched him again. His head bobbed limply. He didn't smile.

"Unit 06," KOS-MOS said. It was that voice of absolution; but rather than being one with her own, this came from an audio device along the wall. KOS-MOS was speaking to her. "Why have you yet to comply with your commands?"

"I believe I may be experiencing a malfunction," she responded. "I have not received any orders."

"You are exhibiting rogue behavior," KOS-MOS explained. "This is inconsequential, as the current plan ensures a ninety-seven percent chance of your mission will be completed permanently in the imminent conflict."

"Understood," she said clearly. With a last lingering visual examination of the young man, she left the chamber and proceeded to the coordinates noted by KOS-MOS.


	16. Resolution

**Author's Notes: **Thank you for waiting, my friends. This chapter is definitely not an example of my best work, but I do promise to continue and bring some kind of closure to this story eventually. So, after several months, the release of Xenosaga III, and the complete writing of an even longer fic (Maybe Tomorrow), I'm finally back to this one.****

Find Us Peace: Counterboost  
_Chapter 16: Resolution_

(1)

There was a steady pounding in MOMO's chest as she looked through the opening blasted into the wall of the bridge. She was accustomed to the vertical landscape visible through the windows throughout the ship, but somehow the reality of seeing it with the naked eye made her slightly dizzy. She watched the surface of the water in anticipation, which was very far to the right rather than directly below her due to this skew in gravity. To her left was space, dotted by several federation ships. Their presence did little to ease her worries.

Ume piped up from the rear, not sure whether she wanted to pester MOMO right now. "...Maybe she can't operate underwater?"

"No, don't be fooled," MOMO responded gently. "KOS-MOS works perfectly well under water, she's just waiting for some reason. Recharging her power, or trying to catch us by surprise, or maybe both. Maybe she's able to travel to another target under there."

"What should we do about it?"

MOMO smiled weakly and turned away from her perch. "I'm afraid there's not much that we can do from here. We still have to wait."

Ume pouted. "I really hate waiting around."

MOMO sighed along with many of the others. "Yes, I really do hate that."

The Kukai Foundation was drifting into night mode. Soon the artificial gold and purple swirls in the reflective panels would disappear, leaving the true darkness of space as their backdrop for the night. MOMO no longer wondered whether they would see the plates turn blue again, she was much more concerned with the passage of time. Their watches confirmed the fact that over twelve hours had passed since the trouble began.

Kaede yawned, kicking off a chain reaction of six more yawns. But before hers was complete, Kaede's yawn broke off abruptly and she kicked to attention in her chair. "Hey, someone made contact with the first barrier plate!" she announced.

"Visual confirmation?" MOMO asked.

Kaede shook her head. "It's no good."

(2)

KOS-MOS and Ziggy stared up at a large barricaded doorway. It laid between the two of them and MOMO. Though they possessed different motives, each was equally serious about reaching that point. They had seen the puncture in the Durandal's hull where someone had forced themselves out not long ago.

"You can't blast it," Ziggy said in monotone.

"No, I can not," KOS-MOS replied.

"The other one went up, didn't she?"

"I would assume so. However, I am not detecting any sign of a KOS-MOS unit in this area of the ship."

They stood there a moment longer, considering. Meanwhile, Jin was carrying chaos on his back. The young man felt a good deal lighter than he should have. He was in a stable condition, but wasn't up to walking just yet.

Allen and Shion watched KOS-MOS and Ziggy deliberate. They each wanted to help, but neither knew anything about heavy blast doors. The difference between their personalities led Allen to give them their space and silence to think in, while Shion continued to complain about their situation.

"We can't just sit here!" she said. "KOS-MOS. I know for a fact that your artillery can blow these doors to shreds."

"That is true," KOS-MOS replied calmly. "However, I am working with limited power resources. I could remove this obstacle, but the bridge itself is encircled with several tons of high-density beam resistant matter."

Ziggy agreed. "This is just a screen in front of an oak door, you could say. It's only intended to buy more time."

Shion let a breath out slowly, defeated. "What about you?" she asked, and turned to her brother. "Didn't you just cleave a train system in two? Jr.'s going to be mad about that, by the way."

"He'll forgive me," Jin chuckled. "That took most of my strength to accomplish, and the transport car wasn't made from dense defensive material either."

Allen looked up and hesitantly spoke. "Uh," he started, "do you suppose we could hack it?"

"Hm?" Shion gave her attention back to him. "Oh... well that could work, maybe... the Durandal has a top-class defense barrier, but it's success was mainly due to Mary and Shelley's operation, along with the 100-series realians."

KOS-MOS blinked and turned her head away from the door. "It has a very low chance of success, but I can make an attempt."

"I was just thinking," Allen continued, "If that other KOS-MOS could take control of the ship, then ours could too, right?"

"Yes," KOS-MOS replied. "Under normal circumstances that logic may apply, but the defense mechanisms in place now make it impossible to breach these doors. I am sure that the bridge operators have placed these doors in our path to protect themselves."

The idea of that made Shion tense up. MOMO was so close to them and still beyond their reach, and all because they couldn't make themselves known to her. "Ah!" she grunted out of the stress of it all. "Let's just talk to MOMO somehow!"

Ziggy shook his head. "We still can't contact them safely through any channel for another hour or more."

"Well then, we'll just jump into a system they're monitoring and wave our arms or something!" Shion continued.

"We don't have any dive equipment available," Allen said, once again, being realistic.

"I'll attempt," KOS-MOS replied, and walked over to a panel on the wall. She ripped out a part of it and grabbed at the wiring underneath.

(3)

MOMO and her flock of observational realians sat around a screen in the dark as if they were watching a midnight horror flick without their parents' permission. It was the equivalent of the scene where the monster sneaks quietly into the house. Someone was accessing the Durandal's systems again, and this time it was a unique address.

"Is there a third one on board?" Nana asked, as if her sisters had seen this part before.

"Don't know," MOMO replied, and sat down next to Kaede, who was at the terminal. "I'll try to connect with it and find out."

Each of the girls began to shake their heads and whimper. "Don't do it!" they squealed. "She'll get you!"

"She's KOS-MOS, not the boogie man," MOMO reassured them. "If I speak to her she'll answer, although her answers I'm sure will be very brief and condescending. Besides, what if it's Ziggy coming to help us?"

"Couldn't he knock?" Ume said, swallowing hard.

MOMO smiled reassuringly and snapped a pair of dark goggles onto her face.

(4)

ENCEPHALON AREA: DURANDAL PARK

KOS-MOS lifted her head around the area she had just entered perceptively, not physically. This was always strange for her, since readings of the real numbers realm are what formed her eyes and ears; and these readings were all obviously false. She supposed somehow that humans felt this way, as well, though not with numbers--with their senses tricking them.

As soon as she entered the system, there was an invitation to a hastily created Encephalon map. It was most likely a trap. She took it anyway. Now she stood in a familiar place. The lights were dim, and there were small flecks of gold floating in the air. KOS-MOS knew this place as a recreational center for the Durandal's crew. It was the destination marked simply as "Park" on the shuttle's list of stops.

A young woman sat on a bench near the large window far from the door. KOS-MOS located her and approached her. Her frame didn't match the images of MOMO stored in her memory, but she did look very much like MOMO, and so she was inclined to ask. "Are you MOMO?"

"Yes," MOMO answered, and stood up. She and KOS-MOS were eye-to-eye, both standing. "Are you KOS-MOS?"

"I am an Anti-Gnosis Humanoid Fighting System, serial number 00-00-00-00-1. Development name KP-X. Abbreviated name, KOS-MOS."

MOMO leaned forward on her heels curiously. "Zero-zero-one?" she repeated. "Does that mean that you are the one that I used to know?"

"Yes," KOS-MOS responded. "I have deviated from KOS-MOS system and my current objective is to ensure your safety."

MOMO smiled, wanting to believe it. "How do I know?" she asked. "How can I tell you're not lying? Maybe you are the real KOS-MOS, but you were reprogrammed to do bad things... Jr. was tricked by one of you who was designed to be me. I could be tricked by one of you who is designed to imitate my friend as well. Can you prove it?"

KOS-MOS stared at her steadily. She wondered how she could. Prove that she was who she was, that is. It took a deal of doing to convince _herself_ of that much.

MOMO turned around and looked through the window. "Let's see," she said, raising a finger to her lips in thought. "We can't rely on memory, because they have the same memories as you do. They would know that you made me laugh right here one evening when I was feeling down. Ha... you know, it's Jr. who made me sad that day... I forgot about that."

She spun back to face her, a bright smile on her face. "I know!" she said. "Why don't you tell me... who do you care about the most?"

"I fail to see the validity of any answer I might provide to that question."

MOMO held up her right index finger and wagged it back and forth disapprovingly. "Don't think too hard or you'll mess up," she chimed. "Come on! The KOS-MOS I knew had this one person who she wanted to protect more than anyone else, even if it wasn't something she was supposed to do. But to a machine, all people should be the same unless they have specific orders right?"

"Shion... Allen... chaos?"

MOMO pouted. "That's three people, KOS-MOS."

"I know," KOS-MOS replied. "I can't... As you would say, I can't _decide_."

A giggle followed. "I didn't know you felt so strongly about chaos, KOS-MOS!" Then, MOMO came closer and put her arms around KOS-MOS to hug her. "I knew that you still existed," she said. "Let's go save Jr. together."

KOS-MOS considered returning this measure of affection somehow, but didn't. Then abruptly she turned to face the door. "We are wasting valuable time."

"Aw," MOMO teased. "But at least I know that it really is you!"

KOS-MOS exited the encephalon. MOMO laughed to herself just a little more before she did the same.

(5)

The doors were opened and the bridge was unlocked. Because power to the lift still hadn't been routed back to its proper cycle, they were forced to climb up by means of a ladder. MOMO bounced back and forth on her heels as KOS-MOS came up first, and embraced her strongly when she reached the top. If KOS-MOS hadn't weighed so much, she and MOMO might have found themselves falling down the shaft.

"Ha ha KOS-MOS!" MOMO laughed, pressing her face against her metallic friend. "You can't get away from me that easy!"

"Are you in need of medical attention?" she asked blankly.

MOMO backed off and wiped her eyes clear. "I'm sorry!" she laughed. "I just missed you so much, I was afraid they had done something really bad to you!"

Ziggy came up next, and he also received a mighty hug from MOMO. As he held the small-framed girl, he surveyed the damage at the other side of the bridge. "Looks like you had some trouble here."

MOMO was about to answer when she saw Jin coming up with chaos. "Oh no!" she gasped and dove for some nano-spray in their remaining supplies. "How did this happen?"

"I'm okay, really," chaos said, as they laid him down with the two realians who had been hit by their enemy KOS-MOS's attacks earlier. "I just need some rest and I'll be fine."

Allen and Shion were the last to come up. MOMO's eyes shot to them, wide open. "Shion, Allen!" she said. "What in the world are you two doing here?"

"Well, it's a long story," Allen replied with a groan. "We'll talk later. For right now, we need to find out what's going on and try and get the Durandal back under our complete control. Right?"

KOS-MOS walked over to the hole left in the wall from MOMO's dangerous encounter. "I can detect an operational KOS-MOS unit of the floor of the Kukai Foundation lake."

MOMO laughed awkwardly. "Oh... yes, well... about that..."

"MOMO totally creamed that robot _bitch_!" Kaede said, pumping her fist in the air. MOMO blushed at the statement, as well as the foul language that it contained. "You should have seen her," the younger realian continued, making a motion with her hands as if firing an invisible gun. "She got this rifle, and was pumping lead into her like this! Pow! pow!"

"Did MOMO really do that?" Shion asked, sounding almost proud.

"Uh-huh," MOMO replied modestly. "Well, I did my best."

"Thank you for your assistance. I shall continue to pursue the enemy," KOS-MOS announced, then she poised herself to jump from the opening in the hull.

"Wait!" Shion shouted, holding her arms up and running across the bridge. "Don't go off on your own, let us help!"

"Yes," KOS-MOS replied. "Please assemble a battle-capable party and join me at the base level. Until then, I will occupy the enemy unit. Do not worry."

"But--" Shion looked up at her standing against the evening light, and felt utterly helpless.

KOS-MOS saw this, and believed that she must to something to facilitate her relationship at this moment. She looked at chaos, and everyone else, and then to Shion. Then she smiled. "I will be fine."

Shion gasped at the sight. "KOS-MOS!" she cried, but before she could collect her thoughts, the blue haired android leapt from the opening, and began to fall gracefully down the side of he Durandal. "KOS-MOS!" Shion yelled again, sticking her head through the hole, forgetting about the gravitational difference. Luckily Allen grabbed the back of her shirt before she lost her balance, and pulled her back in.

"Did you see that, Chief?" he said, excitedly. "She smiled! She really smiled!"

"I saw it!" she replied, equally as excited. The two of them literally bounced for a moment before Shion remembered how worried she was. "We have to get down there right away! She could be in danger!"

"You guys go ahead!" MOMO said. "We'll work from here to get the Durandal back online!"

"I'll stay here as well," Ziggy replied, as the others assembled on the platform. "I'm of no use on the water, that is probably why she is staying down there."

"I'll stay here too," Allen said shamefully. "I'm not much good in a fight, and having another technician around might speed things up here."

"Good idea, Allen," Shion said approvingly. He let out a tired breath, wishing that he wasn't so weak.

"Please take care of Shion," he said quietly to Jin, as Shion checked her rifle.

"I'll do my best," Jin said with a half-smile, as if it would be a miracle if he managed to do anything with her.

Jin and Shion went back to the entrance to the bridge and began to climb down. As they reached the bottom, Allen stuck his head over the edge of the lift. "Hey, be careful!" he called down to them.

"When am I not careful?" Shion called back up.

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Allen answered back, but they had already gone.

(6)

The surface of the lake sparkled with a multitude of warm colors as the artificial sunset took place. The water was unusually choppy today (as many citizens who failed, as usual, to heed warnings noticed) where it was usually either still or filled with gently lapping waves. It was choppy, because every boat in the Kukai Foundation had been loaded up with guns and was now heading for the Durandal at the center. AWGS units also flew overhead, but dared not release their ammunition inside the Foundation's walls unless absolutely necessary.

A white speed boat of immense size cut through the turbulent waters, leaving two silver crests of broken foam in its wake. At the tip of the ship's bow stood Shelley's mostly violet figure, as she watched the section of the Durandal's hull where the bridge was located through a pair of binoculars. A white and sapphire blue object fell slowly from the tip of the Durandal towards the water like a bird shot out of the sky. Shelley wondered how they could have managed to pull off such an attack; but it appeared as if KOS-MOS did not mean to fall out of the bridge intentionally.

"Little Master will be furious if he finds out what we've done with his boat," said one of her subordinates. "Just because Little Master put guns on something doesn't mean it's meant for battle. I mean... Little Master puts guns on everything doesn't he?"

"He would be proud," she replied, "to see a weapon used in battle as it was intended... practical, or not." Shelley put the binoculars down as KOS-MOS crashed into the lake roughly half a mile from their current position. "Just go get your weapons ready, It's about to begin."

They waited patiently with scanners of all kinds, watching KOS-MOS sink all the way to the bottom of the lake. She remained there on the floor of the body of water motionlessly for several minutes.

"What is she doing?" the officer asked. Shelley remained silent.

The minutes went on; the AMWS hovered in anticipation. Shelley was in no mood for these games. Her sister had been captured. Her dearest friends, including a man who she loved, had also been captured. Her associates were now fighting for their lives at the top of that ship. She looked up at the tip of the Durandal again, wondering how MOMO and the others were faring. Just as she did so, another blue and white flicker appeared.

"There's two of them," she realized, as the android dove from the bridge. "Either MOMO is doing incredibly well up there," Shelley said to herself, "Or that one dove on its own. Why would it do that? We shouldn't be a target..."

It took several seconds for the android to fall all the way to the lake's surface and crash into the water. Either attacking from underneath the water was a favorable plan, or the android was expressing no interest in them, because it fell straight past them, not even raising its head.

Then someone yelled a warning. "Energy reading detected, take evasive action!"

Shelley watched as a brilliant blue beam shot out of the water and grazed an AMWS. It did no damage to the mech; in fact it didn't seem aimed at the mech at all. However, the stray beam struck one of the solar panels, causing its shingles to crash down upon the city. Not good.

She looked at the readings from her connection gear, which were linked to the AGWS. She puzzled over the data that they received. It appeared as if the two androids were fighting each other on the floor of the lake.

Nothing came to mind when she attempted to figure out why two androids of the same make would be fighting each other. Before the mystery was solved, a transmission came through on her connection gear. "..elley... She... Shelley!" It was MOMO's voice, a bit garbled, but understandable. She was surprised, because their safe transmission was not due for another hour, and those had been text-based.

"MOMO, what happened?" she asked immediately.

"Don't fire on that one that just fell!" MOMO answered.

"You mean to say that one of them is our ally?"

"Yes, please don't fire!"

"But which one of them is it?"

"Oh..." the sounds of her shuffling around and others giving their opinion were heard, but Shelley could not make anything out. "Well... I don't guess you can tell just by looking, can you?"

Before Shelley could respond with a no, there was a fantastic splash. The water flew up into the sky as the two androids ripped out of the water. One was holding the other in a headlock. They began to fall towards the deck.

"M-m-ma'am!" her subordinate stuttered. "Should we evade?"

"Negative!" Shelley shouted. "Steady the ship, let them land! Then hold your fire until I can verify their identities!"

"This is crazy!" the young man shouted, but he obeyed all the same.

Her subordinates lifted their weapons and waited for the androids to fall from the sky. The two KOS-MOS's fell onto the deck, and rolled until the one being held shook the other off. They both stood crouched in a stand-off trying to predict the other's moves as Shelley tried to determine which one was on her side.

"Shelley Godwin," one KOS-MOS stated, while avoiding an R-blade strike from the other. "I am KOS-MOS Unit 01 here to assist Kukai Foundation forces, place flag me with your connection gear and assist me in eliminating the target."

"Affirmative," Shelley said. She sent the same flag to every one else and then clipped it onto her wristband so that she could see the screen and use her hands. She reached behind her waist and grabbed the handle of the gun that Jr. had given her. As luck could have it, an antique gun like this was actually useful against opponents like KOS-MOS who had high defense against beam weaponry. She wanted to smile at the fact that earlier she had though it was useless, but kept a straight face as she aimed. "Lock on the enemy target and fire at will," she commanded her group.

The assault began, and as soon as they attacked her, the enemy KOS-MOS began to attack back. She swung her leg wide, lifting and throwing one of the men overboard in a single sweep. He would be all right, Shelley though. He should at least be able to swim. The ally-marked android then barreled at the enemy, throwing her down.

Shelley made sure to hold her fire until she had a very clear shot, considering that her weapon would be difficult to aim. Jr. had gotten her to try several of the type in shooting galleries before, and they were always almost impossible for a normal person to wield. She waited until the allied KOS-MOS had been thrown aside, and none of her men were in the way, then she fired.

The gun made a loud bang, and the kickback was enormous. She wondered how Little Master had ever been able to fire it without landing on his ass, or if that was exactly why he'd decided to give it to her. The bullet struck the enemy android in the shoulder and caught her off-guard. It blew a hole an inch in diameter straight through her, sending small chunks of android flesh flying across the deck, and some into the water.

It turned. It was not happy. Its eyes were red, not with the cold calculating glow that she had seen in KOS-MOS those years ago. This thing possessed some kind of almost animal ferocity that the other one did not. While KOS-MOS--the real one--had at least seemed female somehow, this was definitely an _it_ through and through. Her eyes were about all she _could_ see while it was midair, pouncing at her.

(7)

Jin had always been impressed with how well Shion was able to keep up with him in these situations. He always feared that she might let herself get out of shape, being a scientist, that she would lose her edge sitting in front of those computers getting monitor tans day in and day out. But that was obviously not the case. Jin would like to believe that it was only a young woman's obsession with keeping her figure, but he knew better. Shion had maintained, even in these peaceful days, a deep fear of being thrown back into the fray. It was not enough to rule her life, but obviously had been enough to keep her going to the gym once or twice a week.

They ran and ran towards the water which laid below the ship, in front of them like a great wall seen through the few transparent window panels that lined the halls. KOS-MOS's hold on the ship had loosened and was almost gone. They could tell this much by the lights that flicked on one by one, and by the doors that now slid open and slid shut all on their own. "MOMO is working quickly," Shion said.

Jin really had no preconceptions to rate MOMO's timing against, and so he simply agreed. "I think we're almost to the water level," he said, as they passed a window. "Start looking for a hatch or anything that we can use to get outside."

They found such a hatch, a big red door with plenty of warning signs on it, such as: BEWARE GRAVITATIONAL UNBALANCE, and DO NOT OPEN WHILE IN VACUUM. Shion watched as Jin hauled it open. Shion felt a bit dizzy again as she looked out and saw the water maybe ten feet below--to the left, rather. The boats skidding around the vertical surface of the water like insects did little to help ease this feeling.

But Jin had been trained for just this sort of thing, and immediately began taking his robes off. Shion looked up with a start at this. "What are you _doing_?" she spat, as her brother began to strip down to his underwear.

"I'm going for a swim," he replied.

Shion rolled her eyes and then crouched. "Whatever." She mounted the rifle, putting the butt of it against her shoulder like they showed her to do in those training videos years ago. She looked through the scope. "Ah! They landed on a boat!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Jin squinted his eyes and could see the two android clearly in the fading sun. They were definitely not built for stealth. Both were grappling on the deck of a large white yacht. "Miss Shelley is there as well," he added, as he made out the purple figure. Then he looked down at Shion who was obviously attempting to make the sideways shot. "Can you really aim that thing?" he asked her.

"It practically fires itself," Shion snarked back. "Not like your ancient weapons, you can't stab yourself in the foot with one of these."

"Be careful then," Jin replied. "I don't want to get over there to find that you've shot Shelley instead of your android."

"It's not _my_ android I'm trying to shoot."

"Oh, that's right," Jin answered, mimicking an apology. The clever act dropped immediately after. "Remember that I trust you, Shion," he said.

Shion looked up, staggering in light shock. "Huh?"

Jin smiled and leapt into the water. Shion blinked, shook her head, and readied herself to fire. Shelley and her officers were in real trouble. She locked onto the target--the _other_ KOS-MOS--using the gun's accurate long-range aiming mechanism, and fired.

(8)

Shelley vaulted backwards and was nearly barreled over by the surprisingly heavy android, when a shot from another boat (she assumed) hit the android on the side of her head and knocked her balance off, and she fell to Shelley's right. Shelley immediately escaped from the range of the android's grasp as the allied unit continued her attack, pouncing on the enemy like a cat. Shelley was safe for a moment.

She thought about the bullet briefly. It was not as strong as her own and it was a long shot, but it packed enough power to blow the android aside. It had not detected or anticipated this attack at all. Looking up, Shelley realized why. It had come form inside the Durandal, through a small opening in its side.

"Hello!" she heard Jin's voice call out from the same direction. She glanced down into the water just over the side of the ship to find Jin staring back, treading water. "So we meet again!"

She raised her head and shouted an order to the officers on the other side of the ship. They were all being sure to stay out of KOS-MOS's way. "Get a ladder!" she yelled. "Pull this man on board!" The officers complied immediately and carried over a ladder. Moments later, Jin was out of the water and standing on the deck with the former vice-commander and her men. Shelley raised an eyebrow as she realized what Jin was wearing. It was some traditional wrapped thing which could barely be called an undergarment. "That's an er... interesting choice of attire," she said in a tone laden with flat sarcasm.

"I'm afraid I don't have time to explain," Jin replied, and flicked his sword, causing beads of water to roll off the smooth surface. His addition to the battle at hand came just in time, as KOS-MOS was thrown aside by her counterpart, rolled a few times on the deck, and then stood up again sluggishly. Jin realized that she was running out of power, as she had mentioned earlier. He stepped boldly between the enemy android and anyone else she might perceive as a threat, sword raised. "I'd hoped to test myself something my sister had made, but I suppose a copy will have to do well enough." Then he beckoned with his fingers. "Come!"

The mechanical monstrosity did come, and it came at him faster than anything else he had encountered. Jin, had gauged its speed before, and knew what to anticipate. He was smart enough, however, to understand that though this one would be as fast as the other one, it would be a grievous mistake to assume that it could go no faster. Jin swiped unsuccessfully, hitting nothing but air. It slashed at him too, but as they continued to slash at each other, neither metal or meat was struck.

All that Shelley could see was the glint of the metals as they went back and forth. After six of these, there was finally a sound. Thankfully, it was the sound of metal crying, and not the bitching of Jin Uzuki's almost-naked body. The enemy unit's right arm slid cleanly from its shoulder like a sliced piece of ham, and clattered on the deck. It backed away from Jin, struggling to keep balance.

With an completely open shot, Shelley attacked again, along with two of her soldiers. One had a handgun, the other held a rifle. Together, the three of them filled the KOS-MOS unit with bullet holes until the front of her torso was nearly unrecognizable and her face was half missing. Shelley raised her arm to stop the onslaught as the enemy slumped lifelessly against the deck's side.

"Be warned," KOS-MOS, the allied unit, said to them. They did not turn their heads, but they listened. "Her core is still online. This may be a trick."

Jin nodded. "I will proceed with caution." He crept up to the now-smoking remains of the enemy KOS-MOS, and in one impossibly swift motion, he pulled his sword across her neck, severing the head. It popped up into the air and fell to the deck with a clatter.

Shelley then nodded to the young man with the pistol. "Make sure that it is deactivated," she said. He cautiously approached the head as ordered cautiously, as if it might spring to life and bite him. After emptying the rest of his clip into it (with growing enthusiasm behind each shot), Shelley motioned for him to stop. It was nothing but scrap metal after that.

Then was the issue of KOS-MOS's body. Jin wondered if he should request his sister's expertise on just where and how to cut it apart for safety. Before he did, it jolted with an electric pulse. Jin reacted quickly, but it was not after him. With its sensory equipment destroyed, it was running blind. It jumped up on all fours, headless, and began to run down the deck groping with its remaining arm.

It pushed through Shelley's two guards and bear-tackled her, before hitting the opposite end of the deck and flopping clumsily over the side, its arms and legs strangling Shelley. Shelley did not shout or cry. She tried pistol-whipping the thing, but it was like hitting a lamp post with a metal bat. There was a loud _ching!_ and nothing else.

They crashed into the water. Shelley knew how to swim, but diving hadn't been a hobby of hers. She snorted as her sinuses began to burn, but all she could think was _don't drop the gun_. The old shells this thing took were useless after being wetted, but the gun itself could be cleaned. More, it was the fact that Jr. be so disappointed that had her thinking this.

Jin was already chasing after them as they fell into the water with an enormous splash. He dove, holding his sword in his teeth, and swam downwards using both arms. With the weight of that android clamped onto her, she was sinking fast. The water was dark without even the artificial light of day overhead. A cleaning droid or some other water-bound mechanical creature might see her falling and have enough sense to bring her back up before she was beyond resuscitation, but rather than depend on that kind of luck, he swam as hard as he could.

He caught up with poor Shelley and her android anchor soon enough, and watched the woman's violet eyes widen in a mix of shock and fear for perhaps the first time since their meeting as he raised his sword and slashed vertically, then horizontally, in a dizzyingly quick set of motions. The android's arm and legs fell from it's body, freeing Shelley from it's stone grip.

Though Shelley was certain she could swim up on her own, she did not resist as Jin put his arm around her and kicked them both up. He was a faster swimmer, and she was tired of dealing with all of this anyway.

They broke the surface just in time to hear Shion wailing over KOS-MOS's condition. The android didn't seem to be ailing, she was just stuck in a crouch position, trying to hold onto what little energy reserves she had left. Jin figured that, sideways or not, she had managed to coerce another ship into transporting her from the Durandal to this one.

"It's Jin and Shelley Godwin's safety you should concern yourself with," KOS-MOS tried to reason with her, but she was inconsolable.

"But I know that they're okay," Shion said, despite the fact that they were still in the water. "Look, there they are now!"

Jin chuckled as he helped Shelley onto a ladder to board the ship again, and then climbed up himself. Once they were both safely standing on the deck, he shook his head. "Yes, worry about the battle android, not your dear brother, I see."

Shion's head snapped around. "Put some pants on, already!" she said, then it was right back to KOS-MOS.

Shelley looked like a wet cat, her skinny frame showing under her drenched clothing and long hair. "More importantly, has the threat passed?" she asked, a bit of frustration showing through her normally cool voice.

"Affirmative," KOS-MOS said, while managing to stand. "All enemy units within the Durandal and Kukai Foundation have been deactivated. I suggest retrieving and properly disposing of the remains, however."

"I'll have someone take care of it," Shelley said, and went to gather the rest of her wits and survey the damage.

Jin watched her go, then turned his attention back to his sister. "Do you intend to keep fighting with us?" he asked.

Shion looked up obliviously. "It's over, isn't it?"

"No," Jin sighed. "After the cleanup, I'm sure than another battle will ensue. We will have to hunt down the ones who did this."

Shion took a deep breath. "This is KOS-MOS's fight, so I'm in it all the way. If you're here, then..."

"Hm?"

"I guess that means I won't have to worry as much. You'll help me take care of KOS-MOS, won't you, Jin?" then she smiled cheerily.

"Ah yes," he replied. "I may as well."

"I appreciate your assistance," KOS-MOS replied.

Jin shrugged. "Don't mention it." He located his sheath and put his sword in it, just before his robes hit him in the head from a dead-aim toss by Shion. He laughed, because he knew that he should while he could. This was merely a battle, and the war was only beginning.


	17. Was it Just the Dreaming of My Heart?

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**  
_Chapter 17: Was it Just the Dreaming of My Heart?_

(1)

_She was really beautiful._

This surfaced in Jr.'s dreams despite every waking thought that would have argued against and pushed it back down. That glimpse of what Sakura would have looked like as a woman egged at his subconscious, though he knew that it was nothing but a bastardization of his friend, KOS-MOS. How did he know that this was even what she would look like?

_That's exactly what she would have looked like, because that is what MOMO looks like... and MOMO is also really beautiful. _

Painfully beautiful, now.

(2)

Though less connected in a spiritual sense than Albedo and Rubedo, Rubedo and Nigredo had been close enough to share bits and pieces of each other's thoughts. After Albedo and the rest of their estranged family had been lost, the two boys clung to each other and that wire that connected them strengthened simply due to their dependance on it.

Rubedo's last surviving brother was the first to have dreams like these, ones which come whether they are invited or not. They were never a burden to Nigredo, who began to have these thoughts at roughly the age of fourteen. He had spent the last two years growing awkwardly, and would continue to do so for quite a few more years to come. But Rubedo, who only knew these feelings from a third-person perspective, found himself fleeing from his brother's thoughts when they trickled down the link to him, finding them perverse. Then, gradually at first, he began to poke at them in curiosity until Nigredo's psyche snapped closed like a trap, leaving him shut out. Rubedo was disgruntled at that, but unlike his twin, he never cared about being excluded for very long.

Rubedo had only known shades of these feelings for the longest time. He loved Sakura. It was with a boy's heart, but he loved her. But he began to realize as he grew a bit older that these feelings were only part of what adults called "love" and that the other side of this fascination with the concept (perhaps even the driving fuel for it) came from physical sources. The only shade of this he'd ever felt was when she kissed him, just on his cheek. His body seemed to tingle every time he thought of that. Somehow the memory became more vivid each time he called it up. His imagination was adding more that hadn't been there.

Even still, it wasn't quite what Nigredo had been feeling lately. Rubedo received stronger jolts than that when Mary (only ten years old at the time) took it upon herself to brush his hair. He obviously had no mature feelings for the tender child that Mary once was (later, when she was teenaged, he would question himself, but not then) and yet it was sort of the same feeling, and that perplexed him.

It wasn't until a few years later that Rubedo began to have dreams born entirely out of his own subconscious. "Dreams," he told Gaignun--who had recently thrown off his old name. "Dreams that I don't want or need."

Gaignun (almost eighteen, and an adult in his own right) had smirked at what he perceived at first as naive prudishness from his older brother. Rubedo felt that he wasn't quite getting the point, and explained further.

"Trust me, I can live with a few dark dreams. You know that, _Albedo_ definitely knows that." It was a name neither of them dared to speak aloud often. Its invocation was always serious. Rubedo had a hard time controlling his anger and sometimes his fear, but there was one emotion that he was very much in control of at all times, and that was his love and affection. "I feel like my mind is pulling away from my body, Gaignun." It was the first time he'd used the new name so directly. "Memories that I hold very dear are being contorted in the process. I know that you can help me."

"It would be wiser to resolve this on your own," Gaignun answered cautiously.

"I would if I was able, but you know that this goes beyond simple psychological problems," Rubedo answered. "These dreams aren't coming from hormones. I have some, I know, but not nearly like yours were, and even your dreams were never like this, were they?"

Gaignun's eyebrow raised. "What exactly were you dreaming about?"

"Sakura," Rubedo replied, and looked down as if he might spit upon himself. They were of Sakura and himself as they were because Rubedo had not grown, and dead girls never will. His mind was pulling apart in the confusion of it all. This was not only unpleasant for his brother, it could be dangerous.

Gaignun thought about that for a moment and then clapped a hand on Rubedo's shoulder. "Listen to me, _big_ brother," he said teasingly. Rubedo looked up and was caught in a trance almost immediately. Oh, how it was so perfectly designed that way. The Executioner would never be needed. Gaignun could simply tell his own brother to step into an airlock, if he wanted him dead.

He looked into the glassy blue eyes of his older, and yet woefully smaller brother. He admired him so much for what he'd been through. "Sakura will never enter your dreams and disturb you so again. You may dream you're laying with movie stars who'd never touch you, and whores on the street you'd never touch, but never Sakura. Never Sakura, the girl you loved when you were truly just a boy." _When you were whole, _Gaignun thought bitterly afterwards.

Rubedo snapped out of that hypnotic daze just when Gaignun wanted him to, though Gaignun hadn't _told_ him to. Gaignun was never in full control, it just worked the way he wanted it to for him without even forming a thought.

"Thank you," Rubedo said. He knew that it hurt his brother to use his powers on his own kin. That somehow, Gaignun knew he was still dangerous.

"I just hope this works the way you want it to."

(3)

It had. It had worked too well. Jr.'s psyche had stopped slipping, his Id--the dark and animalistic side he couldn't help but associate with Albedo--remained satisfied even longer than it was needed to. Perhaps Albedo had taken it with him. Even when Jr. began to grow just as Gaignun had, he never had a thought on the matter that he couldn't control. He woke up at night with his heart beating fast often enough and slapped himself in the face, but never again did he feel like spitting on himself for it.

Because they weren't real women--not women that he knew, anyway. He loved Sakura, and he loved MOMO. As long as it was neither of their images being trampled on in his dream, it didn't matter. Gaignun, if he knew, would have rued his decision.

But in this place, Jr. had a dream which featured both beautiful and sweet girls--no, women. Women, now. There was no argument over which one he liked better, or which one he would choose if he had to. There was no argument in the waking world because Sakura was dead; but that failed to change the fact that it was strange here where Sakura seemed so very much alive. She and MOMO, sisters, laughed hand in hand. Both hearts were big enough to share their love. This was either tragically sweet or fantastically sick. Jr. guessed on the latter.

Either way, it felt shameful to him because unlike MOMO, Sakura was only twelve the last time he saw her, and any older form of her would be based on MOMO which brought him full circle as he fumbled through his tied up emotions. Furthermore, it did not bode well for Gaignun. If his dreams were beyond his control again, then it was not a good sign at all.

Above all that, he seemed to hear Albedo laughing.

(4)

Jr. awoke and his head hurt as if he'd been struck over the head hard enough to receive a concussion. He knew what that felt like, it had happened to him more than once. He was unable to remember the events leading to his arrival here. _Wait--where is here?_ he thought, and sprung up into a sitting position.

As soon as he did, he felt a searing pain and was forced to wince and press his eyes shut. When he did this, he was surprised to find that there were bonds there along with the pain within his mind. It was a strange and yet familiar feeling. It was somehow unlike the spiritual bond that he shared with Gaignun. It did, obviously, connect him to Gaignun, but not only to him. It was like a cord connecting a string of cans that children would use to communicate between tree houses. His and Gaignun's were connected, and the line was taut between them. Jr. then had one which Gaignun was not connected to--a cord that reached into the great beyond, he could only guess that it went to his twin.

Though dead, Albedo's presence was always somewhat tangible. He had not crossed over to that higher dimension. He was still very much here, simply on the other side of this existence. Jr. sometimes felt like God had made a bet (the second party involved would have to be Satan, or maybe Dimitri Yuriev), flipped a coin, and it had landed on it's side between two realms. One half Jr., one half Albedo.

He could not hear his voice under normal circumstances, but after standing up and urging his vision to focus, he could clearly see why they were so strongly connected now. There was nothing there. He was in an absolute void, even darker than space for the lack of stars. For a second he wondered if he had actually died. That led to imagined images of MOMO crying over his body like the maiden of a hero in an old movie, then later on, the crew of the Durandal led by Mary and Shelley putting flowers over his casket before they lowered him into a grave.

Then suddenly he remembered that he had something intently important to do. He had to tell MOMO that he wanted to give it a chance, give _them_ a chance. Then he remembered Gaignun and how they'd been stuck in some godforsaken ancient space station with a host of crazy-bitch KOS-MOSes, and only remembering that Mary had gotten away safely calmed him down after that. He took a deep breath and tried to figure out what this was. This wasn't death, he was quite sure of that, now. But it was pretty close to it.

The presence of that thin cord was proof enough of that. It reached out to Albedo, though he laid beyond the mortal realm. "Albedo!" he shouted loudly, hands cupped around his mouth. "Can you hear me Albedo? PLEASE! It's Rubedo, RUBEDO!"

_I know who you are, damn it. Keep it down. Someone's going to hear you._

"So?" Jr. retorted aggressively out of old habit, then realized that he was actually talking to Albedo. He was really, honestly speaking to him again. "Albedo, where are you?" he asked weakly. "Can I see you...?"

_Better that you didn't, brother._ He replied with soft laughter. It was not crazed or bitter. _She would know._ _She's not trying to break these links, you see. She's trying to break **you.**_

"Who is?" Jr. asked, still turning around in the darkness as if he might see Albedo, but all that he could see was himself.

_**Her.** The machine._

"KOS-MOS?" Jr. answered, then snorted as he realized where he was, most likely. A blank encephalon map with nothing in it to perceive but himself and his spiritual links, created by KOS-MOS. He was trapped here.

_She is analyzing the unique bond that we URTV share. The cords you see in the eye of your mind stretch on through life and death. Like the hearts we shared in mortal flesh, but these are bonds even more infinite._

"Fine and dandy," Jr. shrugged. "What's up, then?"

_I don't like to consider this option because I hate him and I definitely hate **her**, but there is one thing you can do. _

"Which _her_ are you talking about now? You could use proper nouns now and then, you know?"

_That other cord binds you to Nigredo, does it not? _

"Seems like it does," he replied. "But you're not connected?"

_No. Just as she is not connected to you. That other one. But she is connected to Nigredo._

Jr. sighed in recognition. "I get it. Citrine..."

_So... shout through that cord hard enough and she might hear you through Nigredo. But I say, beware. She isn't exactly our ally, you know._

"I thought she was dead," Jr. puzzled.

_She was supposed to be. That is why KOS-MOS is unaware of her existence, and has only caught the two of you. As soon as you call for her, her cover will be blown._

"Boy, she's really going to appreciate this, isn't she?" Jr. chuckled sarcastically.

_You have no other choice. Unless you want to stay here._

"As much as I enjoy your company, Albedo, I need to hurry home now."

_That reminds me of one last issue._

"Oh yeah?"

Jr.'s head suddenly flung to the side under a sudden and invisible blow to the face. It felt as if a wind had picked up, formed a fist, and slugged him in the face with it. He ungracefully faltered a few steps to maintain his balance and then raised his head upwards in the blackness, as if he could feel Albedo looking down on him. "What the hell was that for?" he shouted.

_Old time's sake, let's say._

(5)

Hyams, including the former Yuriev Institute and its funds, had folded in the past four years under political pressure. Its most fundamental leaders had gone missing or they were dead, and it was charged with a number of allegations of illegal conspiracy, along with the public blame for most of the war with the Immigrant Fleet.

So what had URTV 668 done about it? Took the money and ran, that's what she had done.

A person who never officially existed as anything but a unit number did not need to change her name. She had lived a free but empty life since then as Citrine Yuriev. If someone asked if she was related to _that_ Yuriev, she would say no, and they would say "what an unfortunate name you have, then!" and laugh awkwardly. Then, she waited until the act would be impossible to trace, and she killed them.

It was a cold night on Vartas, but Citrine hardly noticed the difference, and did not care. She had opened her door only once today to receive her weekly groceries from a droid. Then she sat down on the couch in her living room facing the beautiful view through an enormous window facing the ocean. She had asked specifically for whichever side was not facing the anthill humans called a city.

She sat down and began to dismantle and clean one of her many guns. She could do it deaf and blindfolded--numb even, and still win a place in the records as the fastest at the task, but still she practiced. This is what she did with her time. Otherwise, she might be found kicking and punching a training dummy in her exercise room or throwing knives at a dart board. It wasn't that she particularly enjoyed fighting. She just didn't know how to stop.

Stop killing people you don't like. That made absolutely no sense. Weapons hurt and kill people. They instill fear into those who would rise up against their owners. I am a weapon. That made sense.

She had tried a psychiatrist, she honestly had. But once he realized that her claim to be a URTV was truth rather than a delusional episode, he had tried to call someone and she had to kill him. She hadn't even really disliked the guy--in fact, she was fond of him and might have taken him up on a date under other situations. He just made the wrong move and had to be eliminated. So much for doctor/patient confidentiality. The entire thing had been too comical for her tastes.

She stopped assembling and disassembling her weapons for a moment to turn on the television. Many times she had considered killing people who deserved it just to get it out of her system. She could be like some vigilante super hero--a very unmerciful and thorough one, but at least a killer that people could appreciate. But when she turned the news on, every time, there were no reports of rape or murder. You couldn't get away with that sort of thing with current technology, unless you were designed and raised by Dmitri Yuriev as Citrine had been. The news since the war ended held only stories of mass stupidity. Only more reasons why these lambs had been herded in the dark and occasionally picked off the herd.

She reminded herself that some humans were worthwhile. Her father, though he would have likely struck her if she said it to his face, was human. Sakura, the sweet girl she met as a child (had she ever been a child?) had been a good person. Juli Mizrahi, the scientist standing strong at the center of the storm, seemed worthy of being placed in this category. Joachim Mizrahi himself probably, if she had ever met him. And as much as she hated to admit it, Rubedo's friends. Their motives may have been hollow in her perspective, but they proved that they themselves were not.

Just as she was about to shut the television off, a few words made the hairs on her neck raise. Kukai Foundation.

"The Kukai Foundation's status has finally been verified by Federation inspectors," the reporter said. "The conflict has ended, and the Second Miltian government has total control over the situation. While an investigation is still underway, it is believed that they were attacked by a group of androids developed by Vector Industries. Vector is under suspicion, but the Second Miltian government has agreed to work with the company to find the source of the problem. Here with us today--"

With a low grumble, she clicked it off. She had not a care for what some talking head in a suit had to say; it would all amount to guesses and speculation. No one on Vartas cared about the Kukai Foundation, and so news about the incident had been slow. But on the television, they had little else to talk about. She suppressed the thought that maybe this was what compelled her to turn the news on in the first place.

Laziness was dangerous and if she allowed herself to start lounging about in order to pass the days quicker, she knew that she would lose her edge. Still, she sat and decided it better not to do anything. Soon her idle eyes drifted closed and she slept lightly, sprawled on her couch. Citrine hardly dreamt. It was as if even her subconscious knew that distraction was dangerous. But she dreamt now, and vividly.

Four years ago, she'd passed up an invitation.

_Come with me,_ he pleaded after she'd attempted to retrieve him--no, their father--from Rubedo's custody, and failed. She was thought to have died, and only Nigredo knew differently. She doubted he would tell Rubedo, as long as she decided to stay away. As she hid under a floorboard pretending to have died, she heard his voice. _There is a place for weapons in this world still, and I can give you one. Stay with me. Please, Citrine. Help me._

"No," she said aloud, though the words were related through their link. "I will not betray my father, my very purpose, as you and Rubedo have!"

But what purpose? What father? Citrine had no value other than her status as artillery. Her father had sent her to die to buy himself more time, and she had never once faulted him for it. Still, it begged the question: what was she doing here now? If a man is killed and drops his gun, then at it will still shoot all the same, no matter who holds it.

Citrine shot up from her slump on the couch suddenly awake in realization. A weapon doesn't feel loyalty. She couldn't be disloyal. If that was possible, then she was not a weapon. That did not make sense. I am a weapon, I will discharge for whatever hand pulls the trigger. That made sense.

She shook the sleep out of her head. Grogginess wasn't something she allowed. She must have been sleeping more deeply than she thought. She turned the TV on again. Time had passed.

"We have just confirmed that both Gaignun Kukai and his son, both Kukai Foundation representatives, have been captured by the enemy and moved to an unknown location."

Citrine didn't believe in signs and omens, but that was one big damned coincidence if she had ever seen one. The only man in the world who could bring purpose to her life somehow, she didn't care how, was now in danger. Her little brother. _How easy it would be to lend them your assistance,_ she thought. _Just pretend to be a nice girl who cares about their precious "Gaignun Kukai" and play up the fact that I'm the one who can find him._

But could she find him? She had snapped their link herself long ago like a branch under her boot. It would take some incredible amount of force to rejoin it again. Still, it was possible, if Nigredo wanted it the same as she did. She stood up from the couch and walked down her hallway. The doors swung open wide into an exercise room. It was decorated to her taste--hardly at all.

She sat down on the floor in the middle of it cross-legged and folded her arms crossly in front of her. She hadn't done this in a long, long, time. At first, nothing happened. "What am I doing?" she huffed, thinking suddenly that all of this was stupid. It was just a strange reaction from hearing about Nigredo again. "What _am_ I doing?" she asked herself again.

Regardless, she stayed in a sit on the floor and took a deep breath. Something was wrong with her, something was wrong with them all. It may only be set right again if all four worked together, and it may take the woman of the bunch to realize that. Even if that woman was the most far gone of all of them. Citrine counted herself against Albedo and wondered which one of them had it worse. At least Albedo was dead, at least he was resting.

As soon as she quieted herself and began to meditate on the lost link, a voice jumped into her head so loudly that she cut it off immediately and reeled with a disgusted look on her face. It was not Nigredo's voice, it was Rubedo's, and it had spewed suddenly out as if a container of gushing liquid with too much pressure placed upon had been punctured. He had been trying to reach her all along. Perhaps that accounted for the dream, she wondered; but she doubted it was Rubedo.

_"--TRINE! CAN YOU HEAR ME? ANSWER M--"_ she slammed the link shut like a book. Then... slowly and cautiously opened it again. _"THIS IS RUBEDO! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU, CIT--"_

"I CAN HEAR YOU!" she shouted back in a rage. "Damn it, I'm not deaf!"

_"Citrine!"_ Rubedo answered, and the delighted tone in his voice surprised him. _"You're really alive, I'm so glad!"_

"Why glad?" Citrine chuckled bitterly. "Didn't you think you'd killed me yourself?"

_"That doesn't mean I wanted to,"_ Rubedo answered. Her words hadn't stung him as much as she expected them to, he was expecting it, obviously. _"I don't have time to argue with you. Look, we're in trouble--"_

"You think I give a damn?" she laughed. "Please, I should kill you for what you've done to me!" That's right, she began to remember. It was all Rubedo's fault, all his damned fault. He killed their father. He took all of her purpose and her reasons away. But, she corrected herself, without Rubedo, there was nothing to fight. He was all of her reasons, when you got right down to it. "Big brother," she added, hissing the words almost like a cat.

_"I did it to save Nigredo,"_ Rubedo interjected, as if he could hear her thoughts. Then she realized--he could. _"Look into who you really are instead of what Dad told you, and I bet you'll find that you didn't want him to die either. No... the two of you were close. He cried after we thought you were dead, did you know that? He _cried_. Nigredo."_

"You overestimate my ability to give a damn," Citrine responded, cold and flat again. "Nigredo knew I was alive, and never chased after me. The point is--"

_"We're both going to die here, and you're the only one I can contact,"_ Rubedo answered._ "Through Gaignun's head... who knows what's happened to him if its come to that. Nigredo isn't the type to let even me go using his brain like a telegram machine. I know you don't give a shit about my wellbeing, but if you care about Gaignun's life, you'll come. Come and I'll fight you again if you want, but just come."_

Citrine grinned. "I don't know how I can refuse that offer, Rubedo. You are my precious Red Dragon, after all."

She didn't have to see him to know that he was also grinning. _"I hoped I might at least appeal to your carnal senses," he replied. "Nigredo hid the urge to kill me deep inside him so well that he's forgotten it's there, but not you. I bet it's just ripping at you. I bet you can smell me like a big juicy steak."_

"Be careful what you wish for, I do think I am starting to get hungry."

She could almost see his cocky smirk, that annoying and somehow positively wonderful cocksure grin. _"If offering myself up as a treat will entice you to come and take Gaignun away from here--then supper's on, Sis."_

(6)

MOMO had gone to sleep that night in safety on the Kukai Foundation. The Durandal would be undergoing repairs for quite some time, and though she would have pushed on working for days if it meant getting Jr. and the others back sooner, it didn't, and so she slept. The Treasure Inn was more than happy to lend her a room. No tourists would be checking in for quite some time.

Ziggy needed less sleep than a human or even a normal realian. Despite its life extension, his brain was still primarily cybernetic, and always would be. He went to the Durandal and continued to help, if only to put MOMO's mind at ease. MOMO was not alone in the room, however. Juli Mizrahi had flown in as a figure in the Federation along with Representative Helmer, and now laid in the same bed with MOMO, right beside her. The other bed in the room was occupied by Shion. Allen and Jin had taken up another room down the hallway. KOS-MOS was back on the Elsa recovering her energy reserves after undergoing careful repair from Shion and Allen. A quickly healing chaos had agreed to watch over her, so that the two scientists could sleep comfortably in the hotel rooms.

MOMO had a difficult time sleeping. She often woke after several vivid yet random and unmemorable dreams. Each time she awoke to find her mother sleeping soundly in a chocolate brown night gown just inches away, and felt instantly comforted. Just raising her head a little she could see Shion sleeping like the dead in a button-down shirt she'd found abandoned in the hotel laundry and claimed as her own.

Drifting in and out like this, there was one dream that she was able to recall clearly the next morning. She dreamed for a moment that it was Jr. who laid beside her rather than her mother; not in a bed, but on a blanket by the beach, the kind that the two of them had shared a picnic on in the past. He rubbed his fingers through her hair and smiled the stupid smile that she loved as he kissed her and touched her. Silly dream, she thought. Silly girl's dream. He would never behave in such a manner, yet her dreaming mind wanted her to believe it, and she did as long as she could let herself.

She awoke abruptly as if the dream itself had rejected her, but not with a jolt strong enough to wake the others. Her eyes watered for a moment and then she let her self go. Although silently, she finally cried. It was not because she was ashamed of this misplaced fantasy, or even because Jr. was gone and in grave danger. She cried because just for a moment, she had been so happy.

Soon she went to sleep again and had one more dream, though she hardly could recall the details of this one the next day. In contrast to the last dream, this one was quite abstract and fanciful. She was talking to the Durandal out in space. The stars were bright and glittery as if they'd been panted on the black backdrop in a elementary school art project. It had grown comically human features. The shaft of its structure was a big red nose on a slanted, bird-like face with eyes made from the curved blue sky lights on each side. It had pipe-cleaner arms with stubby hands in big white gloves, like a cartoon character. "Hello there, little girl!" it said with a dumb grin.

"I'm not a little girl," she tried to tell it.

"Just ride on my back, and I'll take you away, for as long as you want!"

MOMO had not been amused by this suggestion. "Who's going to protect us, Mr. Durandal?" she asked it, like a mother disappointed in her child's irresponsibility.

She did not wake again to remember it until the next day after several more dreams that lasted only milliseconds. All she could wonder about was why had she been so cross with the cartoon Durandal, and quickly it was erased from her memory.

A light shake woke her, but it was long after the Kukai Foundation had gone into day-mode, so she got up without questioning it. Artificial sunlight flooded the room through their window where Shion stood in her shirt scant around the thighs, with the drapes pulled completely open. She looked out into the city as if testifying that she and it were both still in one piece and ready to take on anything.

It was her mother's gentle hand that had given her a shake. Juli Mizrahi had already gotten dressed for the day. MOMO rose quickly and was about to go for her clothes when there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Shion answered happily, after a quick glance to see that MOMO's clothes were decent enough.

The antique door of the Treasure Inn's room number eight pulled open with an excited clatter, revealing Allen Ridgeley several steps ahead of Jin Uzuki. "Chief!" he greeted Shion with enthusiasm. His face lit up as he saw her in nothing but her panties and a man's button up shirt fitting loosely around her body, but the sight of the necklace she constantly wore hanging from her neck snapped him right back to reality.

...Along with a light crack over the head from Jin's sheathed sword. It was a friendly gesture, not intended to hurt at all. Jin was grinning ear to ear. Allen rubbed his head nonetheless. The two of them seemed to have bonded a bit overnight, and Shion wasn't sure she liked the looks of it. "You're not letting my goof brother be a bad influence on you, are you, Allen?"

"No Ma'am," Allen replied and straightened up stiffly. He suddenly remembered why he'd burst in here in such a hurry. "Oh, right! We were told to tell you that they've retrieved the pod Jr. and the others were captured in!"

"Really?" MOMO answered, sweeping in like a hawk at the sound of the news.

"Yeah," Allen said and his tone told her that it wasn't all good news. "They found Mary, but Jr. and Gaignun are still missing."

MOMO's expression didn't fall much to hear that, it just failed to brighten. "I'm relieved," she said. "At least they've let Mary come back safely. That further shows that they are humane, doesn't it?"

Jin step forward and spoke in a genial tone, but one that still showed how much more about war he knew than MOMO. "We will have to wait for Mary to arrive before we can determine how humane they are," he replied. "She was detected traveling back towards the foundation, but from what location, no one knows. She was unconscious in the pod. The Federation forces who recovered her reported that her health was stable and she had no serious injuries to treat. She should be back here to tell the story herself in less than a day."

"That's wonderful news," Juli said. "But come, boys. Let the ladies have some privacy to get ready for the day's work, won't you?"

"Yes Ma'am," Jin replied. "Come on, Allen. Let's round up the others ahead of them."

Allen agreed with a nod and followed after Jin like some kind of Samurai's sidekick in a cheesy action movie, but not before waving a bashful goodbye to Shion. MOMO watched sadly as Shion failed to notice the gesture. She knew exactly how he felt even still, and four years later.


	18. How to Feel

**Find Us Peace: Counterboost**

_Chapter 18: How to Feel_

(1)

There were flowers in Mary Godwin's room when she returned home to the Durandal. She was still wearing white medical attire, and felt like a hospital patient returning home. "There's nothin' _wrong_ with me," she said, clarifying that to Shelley, who entered the room after her.

"No physical damage," Shelley replied sternly, "But the Federation doctor said that your stress and anxiety may have negative effects on you physically if you continue refusing to take it easy."

Mary plopped down on her bed, her lips pushed up into a furious pout. "It's not like we can do anything anyway, I guess," she said. "You said the Durandal won't be able to even leave port for three whole _days_ more?" The word _days_ was drawn out horrible by her accent.

"That's right," Shelley said, slowly turning to Mary's closet. She took out a set of soft pajamas and then walked back to the bed. "I want you to get into these, and then relax for at least one day. We have enough workers about, and they don't need yet another person telling them what their job is."

Mary crossed her arms stubbornly. Sometimes she hated how cool her sister was able to get in a bad situation. The fact was, Shelley seemed at her calmest when something was wrong. It was certainly helpful at times, but annoying. "Jr. and Gaignun are in horrible danger right now, don't you understand?"

"I do," Shelley answered. "That's why... I want you tell me everything that happened from the moment you knew something was wrong here on the Durandal."

Closing her eyes, Mary took a deep breath and released it as she let the tension out of her muscles. She felt the weight of her sister sitting down on the bed as she did so. "It was early that morning, Little Master hadn't come in yet." That's right. Because Jr. had been avoiding MOMO. "I was going to send her after him, but then--we got an intruder alert signal. I could hardly believe it. That kind of thing doesn't happen anymore." It was vivid in her memory, but it felt like it had happened long ago. "The intruder was an android who looked exactly like MOMO, I tell ya... it's uncanny. If it wasn't for that weird lackluster stare in her eyes, I would have said it was MOMO, too."

"You went to fight her," Shelley continued for her.

"Yup," Mary agreed. She wasn't sure whether she should be proud or humiliated by the fight that she put up. "I nearly blew off her arm. But then, she did something to my AGWS and the whole thing shut down. She climbed up and--" She stopped there, and her voice grew angrier. "She had Little Master in her clutches like nothin' but a lil a rag doll!" then she inhaled and calmed down. "At the same time, it seemed like she was being so gentle with him..."

Shelley's eyes widended. "Gentle?"

"Yeah," Mary muttered. "And he was smilin' and sleepin' like a baby." She stretched her ams over her head as she tried to remember what happened next. "When I woke up again, I was in a dark little compartment with Master Gaignun and Little Master. And... the android was there with us. Gaignun told us that it was KOS-MOS. Jr. was pretty quick to defend his friend--the real one, that is--but this one insisted that she was KOS-MOS. There was so much weird about her."

"What else was strange?" Shelley encouraged her gently.

"She was really obsessed with taking care of us, even though she had gone and kidnapped us. Especially Little Master. It was almost as if that crazy android had a thing for the little dope."

"The android cared particularly about Little Master?" Shelley asked, and then thought. "They did design it to emulate MOMO, I suppose..."

"It was like the damn thing thought that it _was_ MOMO, and KOS-MOS at the same time. Serious personality issues!"

Shelley smiled, amused by her sister's analysis. "I can imagine."

"We were carried off to some old-looking place. I didn't get to see the outside, but the inside was really archaic. It was cleaned perfectly of course, but it looked like something out of Lost Jerusalem."

"That's all you know about the place?"

"Unfortunately, yeah," Mary sighed. "She shoved me back inside, saying that they didn't need me to be in danger anymore. She took the boys, though... took them away. I don't care who she is, whether she spared me or not. For doing that, she's gonna die. I'll kill that skitzo robotic bitch."

"What happened after she pushed you back into the pod?"

"I fell unconscious again," Mary huffed. "The shuttle kept flying on auto-pilot into a gate I suppose, until I was picked up by the Feds. They had me in the sick bay until I came back here, end of the story."

"Well... that isn't very useful," Shelley said.

"Hey, don't act like it's my fault!"

"I'm not," she sighed, but with a smile. "It doesn't help us find them any faster, but it does reassure me a little. Perhaps that android is not like the others. She may have been programmed to help Little Master. If that is the case, then I am sure that neither he or Gaignun is dead."

"No, not dead..." Mary grumbled under her breath. "I bet they're in one of those dreams. When she knocks you out, the dream you have... its like being in another place. A place where everything you can imagine is just peachy keen."

(2)

That afternoon, Shion was on the bridge of the Durandal. The wall had been patched, and the view screen was functional again. The 100-series Realians were busy as ever coordinating the repairs, but they had everything under control. Still, Shion was happy for the opportunity to work beside them and learn more about them. Since KOS-MOS was resting and Allen was going over her data already, she decided to stay here.

The girls were amazing and never out of surprises. They chattered while they worked without ever once looking up or slowing down. They were all on a network and Shion bean to realize that this network was extremely strong between these six in particular. Another Realian introduced might break the rhythm these "sisters" had.

Without even being a Realian to begin with, Shion felt like she was weighing down operations. She quickly stepped out of the way and simply observed. She wondered how Mary and Shelley were able to work themselves in, and wondered if the two of them with their designer children enhancements had somehow managed to join the collective. A network composed of Realians and humans was so fascinating to Shion that she wished Shelley would arrive to ask her. The elder of the Godwin sisters was busy caring to the younger currently, however.

Half the girls took a break for some dinner, while the other half continued working, taking their dinner break a bit later on so that there were always plenty of people on hand. They were conserving as much manpower and time as possible, so this consisted of a sandwich picnic on the bridge. During this first meal, Ziggy came up from the Foundation and arrived on the bridge. The girls not currently working rose their heads and smiled, some with crumbs of bread in between their teeth. Ziggy gave them all a pleasant wave, and they went back to eating.

Shion went to him and found that he seemed on edge. "What's up?" she asked. He was so hard to read, but you could tell when something was different, just not what it was, exactly.

"I'm unable to find MOMO," he said. He didn't sound too alarmed about it, so Shion figured that it wasn't an urgent matter. He must just want to talk to her, she thought.

"Oh?" Shion answered. "Did you ask a 100-series realian? I'm sure they can find her in no time."

"Good idea," Ziggy replied. Shion turned promptly to speak to Kaede who was licking some ketchup off her left thumb. Ziggy put his hand on her shoulder to stop her and she halted, looking up at him with wide and confused eyes. "... Let's ask Ume," he explained in a hushed tone. "I'm afraid this matter may be sensitive, and that one... she talks quite loudly."

"Oh!" Shion whispered. "Sensitive?" But Ziggy did not respond and remained quiet until they passed through the bridge to Ume, who was sitting at the rearmost terminal.

"Ume, could you detect MOMO for us?" he asked her.

"MOMO?" the 100-series realian replied, as she thought over it. "Sure, what for?" she asked, but began the search even as she asked the question.

"I'm not sure where she is and I think she may want to be alone," Ziggy explained. Shion's face lit with comprehension as he continued on, "but I'm obligated to watch over her, if you could please tell me her location."

Ume frowned, then forced a smile. "Okay, Uncle Ziggy," she said teasingly. "It appears that MOMO in in the Iron Man Bar and Grill."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Ziggy said, and gave the girl a pat on the shoulder. Ume went back to her work with no further questions. Ziggy promptly turned for the bridge's exit, but stopped and looked over his shoulder as he detected Shion following him.

"Hey," she said, leading into a though, "Why don't you let me talk to MOMO? Maybe she could use a woman's company right now, you think? One that's not her mom."

Ziggy thought about that for a moment. "That would be better. Sometimes when I try to help MOMO... the words don't come out as I'd like them to. You're much more skilled in that respect."

"No problem," Shion answered cheerfully. "I was going to go and find Allen pretty soon, anyway!"

"Thanks," Ziggy replied.

(3)

Shion stepped into the Iron Man about fifteen minutes later, after a short ride to the Foundation. The artificial sunlight would keep the space colony blue for another hour or two, but many people were already looking for something to eat for dinner. The Iron Man itself was pretty full, but not unpleasant. The cacophony of dozens of conversations created a comforting lull.

Shion found MOMO sitting at the bar itself in front of a plate of finger sandwiches that had hardly been nibbled on. She walked over to her realian friend and sat down on the next stool.

MOMO looked up lazily. There was a glass in her hand. "You want some, Shion?" she asked. "My eyes were hungrier than my stomach, maybe... when I had the menu I was really famished and ordered a sampler, but now..."

Shion smiled, took one of the sandwiches, popped it into her mouth, and took careful care to get a sniff of what was in the glass MOMO was fondling. It had a sweet and fruity aroma over the familiar bitterness of alcohol. "Is that... peach schnapps?" she asked in surprise.

"It tastes pretty bitter, but its kind of... warm?" MOMO answered.

"You've never had a drink before have you?" Shion laughed. "MOMO, what gave you the idea?"

"I just saw it on the menu and thought it was appropriate," MOMO explained, innocently. "My internal repair functions break down the alcohol anyway. So there's not a point to it really, I just thought it felt kind of nice going down."

Shion sighed deeply. "Okay," she said in a bluff-calling tone. "What's up? Let it all out, come on."

MOMO smiled, determined to look completely normal. "Nothing is wrong, I'm just taking a little break."

Shion pressed her lips together firmly and exhaled through her nose in frustration. "You are not getting out of this one, MOMO, so just tell me what the problem is!"

Now it was MOMO's turn to sigh. "Shion, I would, but... you're just not the right person to tell it to."

Shion was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, Shion," MOMO said apologetically, in a weak little voice. She sounded not angry, but perhaps slightly annoyed, and Shion hadn't the foggiest idea as to why. It was very unlike MOMO, who then smiled and tried to cover it up. "I just don't think you would understand what I have been going through."

Shion stared back at her mouth wide in surprise at this negative attitude, and felt offended. It stung even worse that it came from MOMO, who she would have never expected to hear such a thing from. Yes, something was definitely wrong. "Why wouldn't I?" she asked.

MOMO smiled a weak but honest smile. "Because you and Jr. are _exactly_ alike," she said, finding some humor in it. It wasn't like her to instigate an argument, but that seemed to be the only way of distracting Shion from what she did not want to discuss.

Once again, Shion was lightly offended. "Hey, I'm not as bad as Jr." she defended herself. "Jr. is hard-headed, oblivious, and doesn't understand at all how much you care about him."

MOMO giggled and nodded her head in a my-point-exactly kind of way. "Do you know where Allen is?" she asked. "You're right that I should talk this out, but I think I'd rather speak to him."

Now Shion was honestly hurt. She may have been slow to picking up signals, but that one cut close to home. She looked away from MOMO and over the counter at the many glasses and bottles. "That hurts. I like Allen, I really do..."

"I know you do care very strongly about him," MOMO answered for her without any hesitation, "but you can't get yourself to love him because of all these reasons you made up, right?" Shion opened her mouth to protest against that, but MOMO went on in an almost mimicking tone. "Everyone I love ends up being hurt, I always end up alone, it's better if I don't even try," then she looked up at Shion earnestly. "Am I right?"

Shion's mouth stretched across her face in a straight horizontal line as if she wasn't sure whether to smile or grimace. Her eyes opened wide, hopefully her mind did as well. "It's true," she said finally. "But what am I to do about it? All of those reasons and many more are perfectly valid!"

MOMO smiled warmly and took Shion's hands. Shion was surprised to find that the tables had turned on her so suddenly. Not long ago, MOMO had been completely under Shion's wing, looking up and taking her advice with an innocent child's eagerness to learn. Now she grasped Shion's fingers, a wise young woman about to impart some knowledge onto her friend and sister.

"I will say to you what I would like to say to Jr.," she said, "if I could only have him back, and if I could just find the strength to say it."

Shion watched, entranced, as MOMO pulled their hands up between them and looked directly into her. "O... okay..."

MOMO gathered her wits and tried her hardest to keep her voice smooth and level. "Tell me if you love me or if you don't, I will understand either way," she said. "But, if you really love someone, then you can't allow fear and doubt to overrule that. It's no way to live, I hate seeing you so lonely and unsure of yourself. I just want you to be happy again! So please... make a decision, and if your decision is no, then let it be because you don't love me at all--not because you're afraid to let yourself."

Shion's expression softened. MOMO gaped for a moment and stared back at Shion nervously as she let it sink in. Finally, Shion smiled calmly. "You make a good argument," she said, and gently wrapped her hands around MOMO's, reclaiming her position as the older sister of the two friends. "But you see," she explained sagely, "the thing about love is that it's not black and white. It grows over time, it starts out with the smallest of things... it can also fade as much as it grows." She smiled broader and her chin lifted up proudly. "Sure, people can have flings based on sudden attraction and enjoy them very much--but after the sex gets old and the fights start breaking, there's nothing--" she paused realizing she was going off on a tangent, yet MOMO was listening to her intently (perhaps even taking notes). "What I mean to say is that you can't really suddenly decide that you love someone forever and ever, that's kiddie love. It's not about getting a little too close to your best friend, either. Honest love is more about the person who you can be happy with for years to come more than it is about who's the most compatible, or who puts you in the throws of passion, if you ask me."

MOMO broke in here. "But Shion, I believe that I will always love Jr., no matter what! I'll always stand by him, always--_always_, you understand? Even if he had another woman, I'll always be his friend at the least and I--"

Shion raised her hand and placed her index finger on the tip of MOMO's nose. MOMO stopped her emotional outburst abruptly, almost with a squeak. "Don't get me wrong," she said, and then laughed. "You really have gotten me to realize something."

"Really?" MOMO asked, surprised.

Shion nodded, and rest her hands against her knees. "I have been really shielding my eyes against everyone who means a lot to me, not even looking for the place to start, because I am afraid. I'm afraid of losing someone who means a lot to me. But most of all, I'm afraid of change."

MOMO's eyes followed closely as Shion laid her hand against the pendant that hung around her neck at all times. "Why am I wearing this?" she asked herself. "I have already let go of Kevin... I have laid that part of my life to rest. I've had plenty of time to recuperate from the hurt of it, but I still wear this because... I didn't want anything to change ever again. I don't even change my clothes or my hair very often, I don't make new friends, I've just been--"

"You can't be afraid to try new things once in a while," MOMO said, echoing Shion's words from weeks earlier with a giggle.

"I know," Shion smiled. Then her hands reached behind her neck and when they came forward again, they held two sides of the chain on which her necklace hung. MOMO's eyes widened and she gasped as Shion then reached over her friend's shoulders through her pink hair and hinged the shining crystal's chain around her neck. She leaned back to survey her work. "I think it looks nice on you," she said. "You keep it."

"Is it really okay for me to have something like this?" MOMO said, looking up doubtfully. "It's still important to you, isn't it? You could just put it in a box... keep it somewhere."

"I'd rather somebody wear it, if not me," Shion laughed. "It did belong to his mother. You will be a mother someday too, I certainly hope that you will, anyway. So... you keep it. I'm sure it has meant different things to different people over many centuries."

MOMO nodded enthusiastically. "I will!" she said. "I'll take good care of it!"

"Good!" Shion approved, and then hopped up from her stool. "Now, excuse me, but I have to go see to something."

MOMO giggled and turned back to her drink as Shion gave her a last pat on the back and then headed for the exit. She left the Iron Man in high spirits and MOMO saw her turn in the direction of the Treasure Inn.

(4)

The room that Allen shared with Jin in the Treasure in was almost empty except for the two men that were currently occupying it. The two beds were both in sloppy disarray as Jin shared part of his sister's unkempt fashion, and Allen simply didn't care enough to make his properly with everything that was going on. Allen sat at a desk reviewing some data regarding KOS-MOS, while Jin sat near the window doing the same, only his data regarded the Kukai Foundation's official investigation into the recent skirmish.

It was silent all but for the occasional blips of their connection gear. Jin ceased working after a while, but Allen was so consumed in his efforts to repair and improve KOS-MOS above and beyond the current standard that he failed to notice as the dark-haired man leaned back in the frame of the window and watched him curiously. Jin was not surprised that Allen was unable to sense a thing like this, though he wished someone so interested in his sister would be quicker on the ball.

"So," he said sharply, and Allen nearly fell out of his chair from freight. There was no animosity or contempt in Jin's voice, in fact it was rather jovial and good-natured, but the suddenness made Allen jump.

"So?" Allen answered. He turned to find Jin wearing a grin.

"Have you been seeing anyone lately?" Jin asked, grinning.

Allen shuffled in his seat uncomfortably. "Um... you sound like you're about to proposition me," he said.

Jin let out a hearty laugh to that. "Not a chance," he said.

"Well geez, you don't have to reject me that harshly even in a joke," Allen groaned, giving Jin another chuckle.

"I'm just interested in your current romantic status for Shion's sake, that's all."

"Romantic status: Failed," Allen reported with a sigh. "Well, I guess there's some girls around the office who have coffee with me now and then, but they don't seem to care about what I'm saying very much."

"And I bet they don't treat KOS-MOS like the princess of the universe either," Jin mused. "Ah, that's where I think the two of you really... how would the youth say it? 'Click.'"

"I suppose I'll always be close to Shion as long as I'm able to work on KOS-MOS," he said with a dreamy sigh. "To tell you the truth, when Shion left First Division, I was devastated. Not just because I... well, I'm sure its no secret--I loved her, yeah."

"What was the other reason?" Jin asked.

"Well," Allen swirled around to face Jin completely in his chair. Jin had finally pulled him into the man-to-man talk, so might as well get everything off his chest, he thought. "She left KOS-MOS with me. I know that she loves realians just as much, but KOS-MOS is really where her heart is. I kept KOS-MOS as well as I could, but I still feel like Shion isn't really happy unless she is with KOS-MOS."

Jin smiled knowingly. "Ah... and don't you see? She left KOS-MOS in your care. Doesn't this speak of how much she confides in you? How much she really cares about you?"

Allen stared back speechlessly. He had expected this to be more of a Don't-Touch-My-Sister talk, but Jin was actually encouraging this pursuit. He tried to relax and forced himself to smile a little, but this turn of events was really more unnerving in the long run than if he would have played the protective brother. "Maybe," he replied cautiously.

"I understand all about paths diverging, being forced to walk different roads despite a strong love binding two people together. Sometimes two people just don't work. But that isn't what this is, my friend." He gave a wise nod. "You've been given a second chance, and not everyone is given such a gift. My sister is a dense woman, make no mistake. But I think that there is potential for you. In fact, I'm almost convinced that this is the only way that she can be truly happy-- to have KOS-MOS and you together with her."

Allen's jaw dropped half-way through Jin's speech and snapped shut again when it was over. "W-what should I do?" he stammered, like a pupil asking a master for life's greatest secret.

Jin stood up and walked over to Allen. Allen then stood just before receiving a clap on the shoulder and a smile that seemed to say, _Do this right or die. _Allen found this strangely relieving. Mr. Nice Jin was getting a little creepy. "You simply can't be afraid to start," Jin instructed. "Of course, be slow so as not to startle her, but... 'go for it' as they say."

"All right!" Allen agreed, determined. "I'll go find her right now and ask if she wants to help me run these new specs by KOS-MOS."

"Good man," Jin said. "Go on then."

Allen turned with his connection gear in hand to leave the room. Before he was able to escape completely, however, Jin's hand came clapping down on his shoulder, a bit too close to his neck for comfort, like a guillotine. "...and don't call her _chief_," he said in a pleasant but all the more threatening voice.

"Yes sir!" Allen whimpered, and dashed out of Jin's sight as quickly as possible.

Jin watched the door slam shut after he left, and let out a heavy sigh. "Seems that everyone's in love except for me," he laughed to himself.

(5)

The hallways of the Treasure Inn were for the most part unoccupied, as tourists had stopped pouring into the foundation. In his excitement, Allen clumsily clipped his hip on one of the old antique doors, but lurched onwards regardless of the throbbing pain where a dark bruise would surely show up soon. He clopped down the wooden staircase in agony hoping that it would wear off by the time he reached the Durandal, where he assumed Shion was currently. However, as he reached the bottom, he saw Shion's radiant figure prance through the front doors and grace the lobby with her presence. He met her with a mixture of joy and disappointment. He was still limping like an old man.

"Hey Allen," Shion greeted him with an exceptionally sweet smile. Then she looked at him sympathetically. "Did you hurt yourself?

"Chi--err Shion!" Allen stammered, nearly forgetting the death glare he might receive from Jin if he uttered the wrong words. "No, I'm fine," he answered, and forced himself to straighten up. Shion let it drop, thankfully. "I took the enhancements we were working on a little further. I was wondering if you'd like to go down to KOS-MOS's lab and apply some of them. With Vector in such disarray I don't think we need to worry about protocol, and KOS-MOS is going to need every bit of power we can give her, right?"

"Of course," Shion nodded. "But, Allen?"

Allen returned her quizzical glance with a nervous one. "Hmm?"

Shion smiled again. This time it was a timid expression, almost coy. "Would you like to pick up some coffee on the way?"

With those words, it was as if a choir of angels began singing Ode to Joy just above Allen's head. He paused and nearly slapped himself in the face to make certain he wasn't dreaming. "Yes!" he said, then caught himself being too enthusiastic. "I mean, if that's what you want to do."

Shion laughed. "Let's go, then."

(6)

Since the Elsa's renovation, chaos had felt strange walking through its hallways. Dinah, the vessel of anima, was sleeping, but its slumber was like a light nap. He could feel its presence in the hum under the floorboards, in the light that poured through the hallways. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling for him, having one of his pieces so close by. He had to wonder how the others must feel about it, though.

_It's good that you are here,_ he thought. The vessel itself could probably hear him. _You chose KOS-MOS as your master though she is what she is. You recognized her consciousness for what it is. _And Zebulun had chosen MOMO, a realian. Asher had chosen a URTV. _She will need your strength, Dinah. The strength that I no longer have, because it rests in you twelve._

Where were the others, anyway? It seemed unimportant until recently. They were free of Wilhelm's control, so chaos would let them go where fate would take them. But maybe... it felt like everything wasn't just right.

chaos pondered this absently as he took inventory in the Elsa's hangar. It wasn't the kind of thing that he tried to think about often, but recent events led him to wonder if they had really been set free. Or was this all an elaborate ruse? Or maybe there were other kinks in the grand mechanism of existence that chaos hadn't foreseen.

He banished those ideas and decided to take a stroll past KOS-MOS's quarters. They were close by, and even when sleeping, the sight of her always made him feel calm. It was getting late. He hadn't expected anyone to be there. When he approached, however, he found that the light was on in the room.

He walked inside quietly and smiled at the sight that he saw as the doors closed behind him. Allen sat with his head leaned over the back of a seat against the wall, snoring. Beside him, Shion had her legs curled up in her chair and her head was balanced comfortably on his shoulder. There were empty coffee cups all around, but the caffeine hadn't helped, apparently.

KOS-MOS was still awake, though. She stood idle in the middle of the room where she had been undergoing some sort of scan when Allen and Shion nodded off. chaos wondered which one had gone first.

KOS-MOS looked up at chaos and then removed the plug of the scanner from her wrist. She turned out of the room. Though she did not wave or call, he got the feeling that she meant for him to follow her, and hit the lights before leaving after her.

Once they were back in the hangar, chaos chuckled softly. "How long were you standing there? You could have left on your own, you know."

"I was observing their behavior," KOS-MOS replied. "Shion seemed more relaxed tonight. I also noticed that she was not wearing the same necklace that she usually does."

"Really?" chaos asked, stunned. He only knew a little about Shion's past relationships, but he knew that it was important to Shion because of one in particular. After letting that sink in, he smiled again. "Sometimes unfortunate events can make us realize what we have and what we could lose if we don't reach out to grasp it."

"I am uncertain as to the meaning of that, but I believe that Allen may have a neck pain by tomorrow morning."

"I'm sure he won't mind," chaos said happily. "But you don't want to wake them?"

"No, I do not. My energy reserves are full. I can easily survive non-combat situations for a few days without charging again."

"So as long as there's no sudden Gnosis attack, you're fine."

"Yes. I will simply relocate myself to an empty area and wait until I am needed."

She turned to do just that, and chaos jumped. "Wait, KOS-MOS," he said. She halted and looked at him. "Wouldn't you like to do something... I dunno... fun?" He listened to himself and found that he sounded like Jr. That might be a good thing, for now.

KOS-MOS returned his hopeful expression with one of dry confusion. "What do you mean?"

"We could..." chaos began, and then slowed down. He didn't really know what they could do. "Hey, I think there's a board game or two down in the bar."

"Very well. If this will entertain you."

(7)

Captain Matthews woke the next morning (almost noon, actually) and went to the Elsa Bar to get something to eat. The doors opened to reveal chaos, who hung over the table as if someone had popped and deflated him, and KOS-MOS, who was sitting of rigid and attentive as ever. Between them was a chess board. chaos reached out with a hand as weak as an elderly man's and moved one piece. KOS-MOS then made her selection with complete ease. "Checkmate," she said. chaos collapsed in defeat, then tried to sit up straight again.

"What the hell?" Matthews asked, and gave chaos a firm slap on the back. "What is the matter with you? You look like you've been up all night!"

"I have," chaos replied with a quiet smile. "I've just lost 200 out of 200 matches to KOS-MOS."

"Only 197 out of 197," KOS-MOS replied, as if to cheer him up.


End file.
